The Flower's Darkside
by VERGILthefallen
Summary: It was all just fine, everything was getting better and we were all getting along. Until the book fell from the sky. Until the day he appeared. Now a darkness is smothering the world, he says he can help, that he will protect us, but this is his fault. But he won't. I'm going to save them, and I'm not going to lose anyone else. Rated for violence, gore and language.
1. Chapter 1: Books

It was far from the strangest thing to happen at beacon. From professor plot unleashing a group of beowolves upon the class, or Ruby trying to see if she could play a prank Weiss, much stranger things happened at the school for monster hunters on a daily basis. Yet it was still a strange day when the book fell out of the sky.

Blake stared at it for longer than may have been needed after it hit the grass, waiting for something to come of it. Part of her expected it to sprout legs and run off but it stayed in grass, not even the wind disturbing it.

After an age had passed she closed her book and crossed the yard. If Yang, Ruby or Weiss noticed they didn't voice it. Weiss was still engrossed in her rant about proper eating manners, that Ruby was either not following or purposely failing to anger her teammate. Yang had eyes everywhere but the white dressed woman.

It was a heavy leather bound tome crushing the grass beneath it, thick and bulky, far exceeding almost any book she owned. The cover was a grey slate depicting two figures crossing swords, a black figure welding a white blade and a white figure using a dark sword. The heavy tome settled into the ground, unmoving to the wind.

After another moment waiting for some kind of reaction she knelt in front of it, studying its cover intently. There was no writing, only the figures emblazoned on the cover. The pages were yellowed with age, frayed in some places but the book was in good shape considering its apparent age.

"What's that?" Sun announced his presence leaning far too close to her shoulder.

"It's a book." Blake answered not turning to face him, her eyes fixated on the new object.

"Where did it come from?" The faunus asked stepping around her and crouching on the other side of the book. "Did somebody drop it?"

"No. It just fell out of the sky." Blake looked up, excepting something. An airship to be passing overhead perhaps but there was only the clouds, beginning to swirl and darken with a coming storm. Her eyes fell back to the book. Though nothing about it had changed she could hear something, a whisper in the wind.

"It's strange," She said reaching to the cover. It was just a book but something was wrong about it. She felt afraid of it, as if it was a snake that would snap her hand off or a hiding grimm readying to attack. "I can feel something in it." She whispered as her hand touched the cover and gripped the leather spine.

It was too fast. She could never quite remember any chain of events after her finger brushed the cover. Sun could never truly depict it either but he wasn't really there, he didn't see what she saw. Her eyes widened, her breath left her and her heart stopped when her hand held the book.

Her mind burned and her bones melted. She wanted to scream but screaming just seemed impossible, it took time and effort she didn't have. It was there, so much, more than she could have ever imagined, rushing, pushing, shoving into her mind, demanding space she didn't have. Names, places, things, worlds, planets, universes, even sounds and strange things she could not name or identify made her entire mind scream in pain as it was flooded with information.

At some point she fell into the grass, the blades sending off a million memories not hers. Sitting with friends as they laughed, mourning the lost in the dirt. Sun was there, he had always been there but now he was with her, yelling at her, they all were. Their voices calling her name but she didn't have time to answer. Too many memories, too much knowledge, too much sadness.

Sun was there. Ruby was there. Yang was there. It was all happening in one instant, one tiny instant moment. As the moment passed, they became longer, the instant became seconds and then minutes, all the while she lay on the ground. There was more time now, but still no strength and still so much. Too much no matter how much time lengthened for her.

There was someone else now. In the second moment, someone else appeared, the others yelled but he yelled louder. He. It was a man. He replaced Sun in her vision and he spoke, but unlike the others his voice was not slow and distant, a constant dulled noise, it was calm and clear.

"Easy now." He said, his voice making her broken form mend and her shattered bones heal. "You've seen a lot, now let's take a rest."

"Good idea." She said, her own lips uttering the words before Blake let the second moment pass and passed into the dark.

**Author's note:**

**This story is connected to a previous story of mine, Darkside of life, hat I have since taken down and will most likely be putting back up soon. I am not sure if I want to continue with this one or not or if I will choose to focus on another series but they will both be related on the same characters of Darkside and Gregor. **

**I am a pathetic RUBY fan and I'm worried about starting this project before volume 2 begins but I'll take my chances, assuming I continue it. Only time will tell. Now to beg for reviews and say thank you in advance for them. **

**So yeah, do that. Review it. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2: New guy

Sun's scream got everyone's attention. Ruby looked his way in time to see Blake fall into the grass. They all rushed to the faunus' side as Sun was trying to rouse her.

"What happened?" Yang demanded.

"I don't know. She just touched this book and collapsed." Sun slowly rolled Blake on her back and revealed her face. Her eyes were wide, staring at something beyond any of them, her breaths rapid and shallow like a drowning and gasping for breath.

"Blake, c'mon snap out of it!" Ruby shook her friend gently but the girl gave no response except further blank staring and gasping. Ruby fell back staring at her friend twitching on the ground. She couldn't think what to do.

"Go get help!" Yang called to Weiss. Weiss nodded and spun away but ran headlong into someone else. Weiss tried to run around him but the man grabbed her arm, holding the smaller girl in place.

"No need for that." He said calmly before walking next to Ruby, Sun, and the fallen Blake. He wasn't a teacher since he was far too young, but Ruby didn't recognize him. "She'll be ok, just give me a minute."

"Who are you?" Weiss Demanded.

The man held up the heavy book from the ground and waved it. "The owner of this." Without any other word he dropped to one knee across from Ruby and placed a hand on Blake's head. "Easy now," He whispered to Blake. "You've seen a lot, now let's take a rest."

"Good idea." Blake mumbled, though her voice sounded unfocused and distant. A moment later her eyes closed and her body relaxed into the grass. The man with the grey hair sat back with a long sigh.

"What did you do?" Sun demanded from behind the man.

"I helped her sleep." He said calmly, turning to face Sun and the others. "Now, all she needs is a little rest and she should be ok. Is there somewhere you all can take her until she wakes up?"

There was a pause until Yang spoke up. "We can take her to the dorm room."

"Alright that'll work." Sun gently picked the sleeping woman into his arms and the group started their journey to team RWBY's room. Ruby watched Blake, hanging limply in Sun's arms while the boy was flanked by her teammates. She saw the man was following them, not very closely but he was keeping pace. Weiss noticed too, but instead of walking on she turned, blocking his path and holding up the entire group as she loudly spoke.

"What do you think you're doing?" She said with an accusation hanging on her tongue.

The man in grey stopped short and looked down to Weiss. "I was coming with you. This is because of me and I know how to handle it better than you all do." He sounded like a teacher as he spoke, lording and lecturing.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The girl said pushing even closer to the man's face.

"Weiss…" Ruby quietly reached to the friend's shoulder trying to pull her away from the beginnings of this new fight. Weiss didn't seem to notice as she continued to glare icy daggers at the young man.

"Look," He said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I know you don't trust me, but this is my fault. I can help you." For a moment he no longer sounded like an adult lecturing a bunch of children, he sounded like he was pleading. "Let me help."

Weiss gave him a long stare and a deep huff but when she silently turned away and left with the rest Ruby gave a sigh of relief. It was the closest thing they ever got to acceptance from Weiss. As her friend walked away and the man began to slowly move to catch up, Ruby moved next to him trailing just a little behind to get a better look at him.

He didn't seem much older than any of them, maybe even younger than Yang. He wore a grey jacket and pants, plain with nothing extra seemingly added. No armor or weapon. He clung to the book at his side intently and stared forward. His grey hair fell around his head like a mop tickling at the base of his neck.

Maybe she had been staring too long because he suddenly turned and caught her eyes, making her freeze in place. "It's rude to stare." He said quietly, though lacking any accusation in his tone. A moment later, he turned and walked away without another word.

"Sorry." She said looking down and rubbing her head. "It's just… we never got your name in all this." She smiled trying to make it less awkward. The man turned to regard her with a look she was familiar with. The one people gave her when they wanted her to stop talking. She was becoming more familiar with it the more she lived with Weiss.

"It's Gregor." He said. "Gregor Grey."

"Well I'm Ruby." She said holding a hand out to him. The young man tentatively took her hand and gave it a weak shake. "So, you know what's wrong with Blake?"

"I do. I've seen it before."

"Then you know how to fix it?"

He didn't replay right away but looked away from Ruby, towards the group ahead of them. "Fix is very broad term." He said slowly. "I've seen what happens to people under this effect though."

Ruby moved in front of him cutting the taller man off. "Are you saying you can't help her?"

Gregor crouched so his eye were level with the young girl's. "Ruby, I promise I will do everything I can to help your friend. The other people I've seen, I never got to them this quick." He forced a smile. It was more fake than Yang's when she was lying, but he was trying. She returned the smile with her own fake grin.

She stepped back and moved to close the gap to her friends. Gregor was right behind her, a constant movement sweeping behind her. He was silent, but Ruby could feel him there as they moved to the dorms. Sun was leading them until they reached the dorm and Weiss took over, leading the group to up the stairs to the room.

Sun had Blake lying on her bed before Ruby entered the room, but before Gregor could enter, Yang barred his path. She was one of the only ones able to stand and look him in the eye, her glare intense as the two had their standoff.

"What did you do to her?" Yang asked quickly, arms folded over her chest, daring the man to make any move.

"I didn't do anything, I'm trying…"

"Then what did your book do to her?" Yang interrupted. Everyone in the room could feel the heat rising as the blond faced off with the new arrival. Ruby wanted to step up again but she had seen Yang's temper before. Not even Weiss wanted to get in the blast zone of the blond's fury.

Gregor seemed to notice as well, taking a heavy sigh and a step back before he spoke. "You don't trust me, and I get that. Fine. I've done what I can. Let her rest and she'll be fine."

"You didn't answer the question. "Weiss added from behind her teammate.

"No, I didn't." Gregor nodded his head. "Give her my apologies and if she gets any worse, come find me."

"She's waking up!" Sun's call drew everyone's attention again. Gregor stepped forward but was barred from the room by Yang's arm pressing into his chest.

Ruby moved next to Sun as the Blake began to stir. She moaned as her eyes opened, floating from Sun to Ruby. "Hey." She croaked out.

"How are you feeling?" Sun asked, patting her hand.

"Do you remember what happened?" Ruby asked.

"Do you know what happened?" Weiss added from over her friend's shoulder.

"Are you hungry?" Yang added from atop the growing pile.

For a moment everyone turned to the blond.

"What? Eating is good for you." She said with a shrug.

"I'm ok." Blake said with a laugh. "Can you guys please just calm down?" Blake smiled again, though she seemed weak as she began to sit up in bed.

"Don't get up yet." Sun said trying to usher her back on the mattress but he was overruled by the other voice outside the room.

"Let her move around. It might help." Gregor stood outside the doorframe but leaned his head beyond the threshold. "It's her mind that's weakened, not her body. Making her body work will be good for her."

Everyone turned back to Blake as she rose from her bead in one swift motion, pushing past Sun and Yang to stand at the door, facing down the other man. "Your name is Gregor isn't it?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"It is." He answered shakily. One eyebrow arced the in the same confused look as the rest of the room.

Everyone's eyes widened when Blake suddenly threw her arms around the man and pulled him into a fast, one sided hug. Yang's eyes doubled in size while Ruby's jaw fell open, dwarfed by how far Weiss' mouth hung agape. From behind them all, sun stared with a snarl behind his lips.

"Ok," Gregor said slowly. "I am just as confused as all of you."

**Author's notes: Realize now that I have yet to put a disclaimer, so let me just say I do not own RWBY, it is the property of the wonderful Mounty Oum. **

**So the Rating has changed to T until further chapters. Don't get me wrong, this will become a blood filled, brutal, evil fuck mess, but until then bad language is about as bad as it will get. So until the shit hits the fan, I'm dropping the rating to T for language, violence and mature themes. **

**Beyond that, this is where I beg for reviews. So pretty, pretty please leave a review. It's just a few words and makes me feel so special. **

**Later!**


	3. Chapter 3:Questions

"Girls, I'm fine." Blake protested as Ruby shoved a thermometer into her mouth.

"How can you be sure?" Yang added from behind her sister. "We still don't know what happened."

"I think she should see the nurse." Weiss added from her bed. "Don't you think we should leave this to trained professionals, Ruby?" The heiress added emphasis to the last word to get the younger girl's attention.

Ruby stopped and looked from Blake to Weiss before turning back to her other friend, a white first aid kit in her hands. "How can you be sure you're ok? You passed out from touching a book. I just don't want it to happen again."

Blake sighed. It was a little annoying how Ruby could make herself look like a lost puppy dog when she wanted. It made it harder to be mean or stern with the girl. "I promise." She said taking Ruby's hand and putting the thermometer back into it. "I am fine. It won't happen again."

"I think we need to talk to him about that." Yang added, cracking her knuckles and staring at the door. They had shut Gregor and Sun outside after Blake had awoken, much to both boy's protest. From the voices, they were still outside the door. "I bet I can convince him to tell us what happened."

"Yang, you don't have to do that. It's not his fault." Blake said looking to her partner. "He didn't do this on purpose. He wouldn't."

"How do you know?" Yang asked, crossing her arms with a huff. "We just met him and the first thing he does is admit that his book almost killed you."

"It wasn't his fault. He didn't do it on purpose, he's not evil." She paused and sighed. "You don't know him."

"Neither do you." Weiss added, standing from her bed. "For all we know he could be a criminal. Maybe he's just here to poison the whole student body. Or sabotage the entire school!" The room fell silent as everyone turned from Blake to Weiss. "It could happen." She mumbled with a pout on her face.

"I don't think he's evil." Ruby mumbled.

"I don't trust him." Weiss added. "We should stay away from him, just send him off."

"I'm with Weiss." Yang said leaning on the wall and sighing. "We should just walk away and enjoy the rest of our weekend."

"I figured you would be the first one to be chasing after him." Weiss turned on the blond with a confused look which earned her a glare from Yang.

"I don't chase every boy we ever meet. This guy just seems boring and creepy."

"That's good. I'm sure he won't mind." Blake said quietly, brushing her hair over her shoulders as she looked to the ground. Ruby didn't say it but Blake wasn't acting right. She was always quiet, less so after Sun's arrival but now she seemed distracted, less aware than she usually was. Ruby watched her look wearily up and give a fake smile.

"Alright, let's go then. I still want to get some good food before this day is completely busted." Yang gave her sister a light slap on the shoulder as she opened the door. Everyone stood behind her and paused with Yang at the scene outside.

Both boys were against the far wall with Sun's fist wrapped around Gregor's shirt. When the door opened both sets of eyes turned to face the girls. In a sudden flash Sun slid away from the other boy letting him fall to the floor with a thud.

"This isn't what it looks like." He said quickly.

"I'm with him." Greg said from the floor. "Cause I don't know what it looks like."

. . .

The hall was deathly silent. Gregor had not said a word since the girls had shoved them out and didn't seem interested on doing anything more than reading through his book. Occasionally he would make a mark with his pen, filling the air with a scratch that rang like bells in the stillness.

Sun sized him up. He was thin and weak looking with his jacket hanging off like it was made for someone bigger. He had yet to make eye contact or even recognize Sun's existence since they had met. He was scared or maybe just really shy. He may be as quiet as Blake, but he didn't have her confidence.

"It's rude to stare." The voice was a shock to Sun when he finally spoke. Slowly, Greg's eyes rose from his book and the dark iris settled on him from beneath his grey hair. "If you want to say something feel free. I don't mind."

Sun grunted crossing his arms as he shifted his position on the wall. "I'm still trying to figure you out."

Gregor laughed from his spot on the floor. "Good luck with that. I'm more complicated than a rubix cube."

"A what?"

Greg looked up again from his book with a puzzled look to mirror Sun's. "It's a… You don't know what that is, do you?"

"No. Should I?"

"I guess not. I really need to be more careful about this stuff." His last comment was mumbled to himself. "So, I know this is a terrible idea but I can't help it and I'm just gonna apologize in advance. What is with the tail?"

"What?" Sun stared at the other man as he rubbed his head sheepishly and looked down. He curled his tail up before his face letting it wave before his face, examining it. "What's wrong with it?"

"Well nothing. I think. I mean I've just never seen anyone with a tail. Is it common or… Something?" His voice trailed off into a quiet whisper again.

"Have you never seen a faunus before?" Sun let his tail hang around his legs and glared on the other man. His eyes were cast to he ground, his hand scratching at his head. It was common knowledge who and what faunus were. How could someone not know that?

"Faunus." Gregor said slowly, as if he were testing the word on his tongue. "Well it's certainly more catchy than animas." Greg closed his book and tucked the object into his lap as he looked back at Sun with a new painfully forced smile. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"You're not making any sense. Are you crazy?"

"That's a matter of opinion." He responded with a shrug. "But if I was I don't think I would know. Crazy person can't know they're crazy right?" he laughed at his own joke but his halfhearted laughter died when he realized he was the only one laughing. "Sorry."

"Why don't you just tell me who you are?" Sun said stepping away from the wall. He normally didn't care what someone was hiding but whatever he was hiding was dangerous. His halfhearted jokes and ignorance wasn't a good enough disguise. Sun knew how to hide, and this guy was trying really hard to hide his real face.

Gregor sighed and slowly stood from his space to face Sun. Standing now, Sun realized he was taller than the other man and he looked even thinner when he was standing, clutching his book to his side. "My name is Gregor."

"I got that." Sun tapped his ear. "I heard you before. I mean what are you doing here at Beacon?"

"Well, what are _You_ doing here?" Gregor asked pointing a finger at Sun.

The faunus narrowed his eyes and felt his arms tense. "I asked first."

"Now doesn't that sound immature?" Greg said with another weak chuckle. Sun growled and pushed from the wall taking the first step to cross the hall. Greg held up his hand. "Easy man I don't want a fight."

"Then explain. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Sun wasn't one to jump right into a fight but this guy was off. There was something he was hiding and since he admitted to being the cause of Blake's sudden condition he was already low on his favorite person list. It might be worth hitting him first to get a real answer.

Gregor changed. His face lost the passive smile and fell into a sullen grimace. "Listen," His voice had gotten deeper. "I'm just passing through. I'm looking for someone and as I passed by I dropped my book. I'm sorry about Blake but that's why I'm here. I wanted to make sure she is ok. If you really want, I'll leave now before they come back out."

"What about her?"

"She'll be fine." Greg said with a wave of his hand. "I got to her fast and removed the cause of the damage. If she was back on her feet that fast, she should be fine. I don't mean to be rude, but I have a lot of things I need to do."

"You don't sound very sure.

"Sorry. I've only ever had two other people assimilate my book. One died after two minutes and the other couldn't put together a full sentence again for the rest of his life." Greg's face turned from the snarl it had gained back to the calm, tired expression he had been wearing. "The fact that she is still alive and got up without bleeding from her brain is a miracle."

"And the hug?"

Greg opened his mouth but paused. "I still have no idea. That was new. I could throw a few guesses but none that would do anyone any good. If anything gets worse come find me. Until then I have much more important things to do." Greg gave a quick halfhearted salute with two of his fingers and tucked his book under is shoulder.

"What about her?" Sun's voice was deeper when he asked this time, darker. "If you caused this, you need to fix it."

"I did cause it, and l did fix it." Gregor sighed and squeezed his face with his hand. "If you need me, come looking at the nearest restaurant. I need some food." Greg turned and took a step before he stumbled and fell against the wall with a gasp.

"Hey, you alright?" Sun rushed to his side helping the man stand against the wall. Greg started huffing, panting and gasped again. His face was pale but after a moment his breathing returned to normal. He looked to Sun and gave a slow nod.

"Sorry about that." He huffed, sucking in a gulp of air. "I really need to go now."

There was a click and both boys looked to the door across the hall. Yang's yellow framed head stared at them, quickly surrounded on all sides by the other three girls, all with the same cockeyed looks. In a sudden flash Sun slid away from the other boy letting him fall to the floor with a thud.

"This isn't what it looks like." He said quickly.

"I'm with him." Greg said from the floor. "Cause I don't know what I looks like."

"Are you alright?" Blake was the first one to push through the crowd and help Gregor to his feet. Sun started to move but stepped back scratching his head. The others filed out of the room as the grey haired man dusted his jacket and smiled.

"I'm fine." He looked at Blake and stared. "How are you?" he asked quietly.

"Good." She said with a nod.

"No headaches? Searing pain? Itching?" he asked with a shrug.

"She's good." Yang said, suddenly looming behind Gregor.

"Ok." Greg didn't turn around but gave a small cough. "We'll on that scary as all hell note, I'm going to leave." He turned to give Yang a fleeting glance before settling on Ruby. "If anything happens, come find me and I'll help."

"Where are you going to go?" Blake asked as he pushed his way past the girls towards the door.

"I have someone to go find." He said without turning around.

"Its Darkside isn't it?"

Greg spun, eyes wide and fixed on Blake. "How do you know that name?"

"I-I don't know it's just…" Blake touched her head. "I know the name…"

"You don't know how." Greg said, his tone softening from the accusation it had taken. "You know the name, other things too but you can't draw the connections between them, right?"

"Yeah."

"What are you two talking about?" Ruby looked between the two. Blake looked confused and Gregor who a moment ago had seemed ready to start throwing punches, look sad again. He took long breath and stepped back. He dint seem aware that any of them were there.

"That's because those aren't your memories you're thinking about, they're mine. My history you took from the book. Now I thought I wiped it all out." He gave a long sigh and placed a hand on Blake's forehead. "Guess I was wrong."

"What does that mean? What's going to happen to her?" Ruby asked, clenching her fist and shaking. Yang stepped away from the pair and wrapped an arm around her sister, though her eyes remained focused on Gregor.

The man looked from Ruby to Blake, his brow creased in a grimace. "You'll be fine, physically. But these memories are going to hang around. They're not dangerous just annoying." He took a long breath. "If you want, I can help you draw the connections, help it make sense."

Blake nodded slowly. "I would."

"Good." He said with another forced smile. "In exchange, how about some food? I'm broke." He gave another halfhearted chuckle but no one else even smiled. "I've got to work on my jokes."

**Author's notes: I am quickly losing fuel and confidence in this story. Maybe once I reach a pick up point I'll feel better but I'm editing this and can't help but feel like it is quickly falling flat. I have a better idea than what I can put to paper and that's not helping. **

**I'm going to try and keep to a consistent release schedule, once a week, but I've made lies like this before so only time will tell.**

**Now that my self-pity session is over, I guess it's time to beg for reviews again. So yeah, do that. Review it. Feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong.**


	4. Chapter 4: Answers

The café served good food. It also had the benefit of being open late, close to the campus and above all, cheap. Price might not have been an object if Weiss had agreed to accompany them but the heiress had refused to go anywhere Greg went. Instead, Blake was left to pay the tab on our own. As it turned out, Greg's claim of being broke was no lie. Aside from his book, and a pen, he had nothing but his clothes.

Ruby hadn't come either, held back by Yang. Sun had disappeared as well, citing his own reasons towards the group he lazily referred to as, 'the other guys' leaving Blake and Greg to eat alone. As they walked the streets Greg filled the silence with questions. He asked about Beacon, Vale, and the rest of Remnant. As she answered his questions, he answered hers.

"Nothing I'm remembering seems possible." She said. "It can't be real."

"Well not in your world, no." Gregor answered as he swallowed an apple. "But I haven't just been to your world. I've seen dozens of others."

"That's what doesn't make sense. How can you have been to these places and seen these things? What I do remember are places and things that can't exist."

Greg sighed and rubbed his chin, his face furrowing in an intense thought. "You can't think of it like you would traveling across the sea. These worlds aren't just a different place they are entirely different universes. Imagine a limitless number of pages in a book. Each one is a world that is different in some way. Maybe it's something small or maybe its larger, like the very laws of physics are different. Thousands of different worlds, each one existing in their own contained space right next to each other but separated by a veil that nothing can cross or breach."

His hand moved across the table to press his book. "The book is like a thread tracing through each world. A bridge I can use to move between them. Every world is different. Some are just like yours with one tiny difference. Others are so vastly different from your own you couldn't believe them. Most people aren't aware that other worlds even exist so no one thinks about them."

"That's a lot to believe." Her voice had the hint of skepticism and her eyes betrayed the thought. Her eyes looked down across the table. A chill crept over her skin as the memories of the worlds were overshadowed by something else. "If they are real, then he is too. Darkside."

Gregor nodded slowly. "What do you remember about him?"

Blake bowed her head, trying to think. She could remember the name and a sensation. It was vile evil, and anger. The more she dwelled on it the more she felt her fist clenching. She couldn't however, conjure up an image of him. "It's the same as before," She said. "I know what he is, but I don't know what he looks like."

"That's understandable. I tried to remove all the memories you assimilated, especially the ones about him." He steeped his fingers in front of his face. "He is real, and he is the greatest threat your world will ever face. He's like a plague. If left unchecked He'll destroy everything. He can twist people's minds to turn them into monsters and he's stronger than anything you've ever seen. I've been fighting him for longer than I can remember." His voice dropped and he cast his eyes down. Blake just saw the way his hands hook for a moment, squeezing his own fingers a vice grip.

"We have to stop him." A sensation pricked at the back of her mind, another memory that wasn't hers. It was a failure, a loss that was stained in blood and wreathed in fire. It wasn't just one memory, but several. A sensation of loss on a scale she couldn't fathom.

"I'm aware." Greg's face darkened as he spoke, creased in a darker scowl. He idly rubbed the cover of his book as he spoke. "That's why I need to know about Vale and Remnant. The more I know the better chance I have of cutting him off and beating him."

"Can't you sense him like you have before?" The words spilled out before Blake could focus on the memory. A vague sensation of Gregor touching his book, of waves flowing out and honing on the dark figure beyond.

"I can't do that here. I already tried."

"Why not?"

"This world doesn't have magic in it."

Blake didn't answer but the way her eyes narrowed and her face curled up, the question was blatant.

"Whenever I enter a world, or Darkside does, we have to adhere to that world's rules. If there is no magic, then we don't have magic. If gravity works in reverse, we go sailing from the planet. That trick you remember me using, that's a magic trick. I could feel him arrive but now he's lost."

Understanding spread over Blake's face as she thought it over with a concentrated grimace. "If that's the case, how are we going to stop him? I may only have fragments, but I remember what's happened to other worlds. I know the death he's caused before."

Greg's eyes narrowed and he leaned over the table, placing a hand over Blake's. "I promise you, I will not let that happen."

"I remember hearing that a lot."

His face fell. To Blake it seemed as if she had kicked him in the gut, knocking all the air from his thin frame. He withdrew his hand and wrapped both around his book. The coldness of the statement hit her and the guilt began to churn.

"I'm sorry. That was cruel." She cast her eyes down and away. He looked like a penitent child, and it made him harder to face.

"It's not wrong." He muttered. "I've failed a lot of people. I've gotten a lot of them killed. But that is exactly why I want your knowledge so I can find him. When I do, I will handle him." His voice returned from a frightened whisper to the firm confidence as he spoke.

"How can you fight him without your power?"

Greg smirked and gave a small scoff. "I've still got plenty of power, and I've got the book." He stood from the table abruptly with his book in hand. "I need to go and check out that forest you mentioned. Thanks for the food. It might keep me alive longer." With that, he turned and walked away from the girl.

"You can't just go walking around in the Forest of Forever fall. It's dangerous." Blake was astride him before he left the table, moving with him as they walked down the street.

"I am aware," he said without slowing. "And that is why I need to go. Those creatures you mentioned, the Grimm, Darkside will try to use to them."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know him. Evil attracts Evil."

"He can't control the Grimm. They're monsters."

"So is he, and he's the bigger monster. I wouldn't put it past him."

"We should get the rest of my team and we can all go in together."

"No." Greg's hand held before her face stopping Blake cold. "I'll handle the forest. I want you and everyone else to stay here."

"What if you find him? I can help you fight."

"I'm sure you can but this is my fight. I can handle him right now but if I'm wrong and he's not there I'm going to need you again. Stay here and keep an ear to the ground. If he is here, he's going to stir up trouble and you know what to look for more than anyone else. You may not be fully aware of it, but if anything starts to feel familiar, you'll know." His voice was back to reminding her of a professor lecturing the students.

He was asking, which was more the teachers ever did. It wasn't a command or a demand he was truly pleading for her help, or lack of. "Ok." She said with a slow nod. "I'll stay at Beacon and we'll watch for him here."

"Thank you." He smiled, the first warm genuine turn of his face she had seen and it quickly infected her with her own. "I'll be back."

Greg stepped back, tapping two fingers t his forehead in a sloppy salute before he turned and walked away. Blake watched him leave, his head tilting to look about the city. He looked lost, like a tourist in some new grand place. Equally amazed and terrified by the unfamiliar sights around him. Blake wanted to follow, she wanted to help but it would be foolish to chase him now. She turned towards Beacon, the tower standing up to the sky as a challenge to the rest of the world.

She started the slow walk back, her mind swimming in the fading sea of memories. The images were fading but the sensations, the impressions were still there. Whatever was going on with Gregor, with Darkside and whatever the two of them were going to do, it was only going to get worse. Her legs moved faster as she came to a decision. It might take some convincing but if she could get the others with her, they could all help and ensure that the burning images in her mind didn't reflect on Vale.

She hoped Gregor was as clueless as he acted, then maybe he would get lost before he found the forest and she would have the time to get back to Beacon and convince the girls to help her and this man they had just met. This might be a very awkward conversation.

She jogged down another street to get around the growing crowd and turned back on the next main road. She didn't hear anything different, or see it, but she felt it. Instinct made her tumble forward as her ears twitched and the hair on her neck trembled. She darted forward, leaving a shadow clone behind just before the street shattered.

Blake hit the ground and jumped again before turning in midair and landing to face the damage. The street had split. A clean cut spread from one side to the other, in the center was her attacker, one hand holding a blade he swung back up with a graceful flick of his hand. She grabbed Gambol Shroud's hilt as he swung his weapon, banishing the smoke around him so she could see him clearly.

Her grip faltered and her breath hitched in her throat. "Adam?"

Her former partner slowly spun his blood red sword and slid it quickly into the sheath. The white mask still covered his face with his hair swept back, brown streaked in red. He looked the same as when she had last seen him drifting away on the train. The difference was he no longer reached out in desperation but his whole body was tense and radiating power.

"Adam, what are you doing here? Why are you here?" She asked, almost screaming.

The other man gave a sharp scoff and shifted his feet, gripping the hilt. His voice came out like gravel, course and grinding as he growled his answer.

"I'm here to kill you." The air filled with the screech of metal as Adam lunged, the sword's blade lunging from the sheath at Blake's heart.

**Author's note: So I'll admit I felt a little rush getting Adam involved and the next chapter was a little more fun to write. I'm still stumbling a bit but I feel like I'm finally kicking things off. I think it will get a lot more fun when I let Darkside get the screen time he deserves. Until then, Adam will have to help move things along. **

**So here comes the first fight, because let's be honest, this is a RWBY fanfic and it's not a love story so everyone knows there will be fighting. We'll see how that goes. **

**As always I would like to take this time to beg for reviews as it does help motivate me to work more. If you're enjoying it, tell me and maybe I'll release on faster timetable. (Unlikely but it could happen.) If you don't like it, tell me what and why. I might fix it, or if nothing else you might make me cry, and that would be fun. Also I really want to know how this little sit down and info dump felt to everyone. I feel I tried to dump too much too fast here and it may have been either boring or just out of place. **

**Thanks to PrognisAldiev for the constant reviews.**

**I have rambled too much. In short, review because reasons!**


	5. Chapter 5: Confrontation

Her feet scrapped over the cobblestone street, the ring of metal making her hands shake. Adam lunged again, Wilt lashing out but Blake lunged to the side, leaving a shadow clone as she closed the distance. Her attack hit the air as he spun, striking her with Wilt before his rifle fired. The bullet whizzed past her ear.

Blake tumbled back, blocking another flurry of attacks by Adam's sword before her feet touched the ground. She drew Gambol Shroud from its sheath and hurled it at her former partner. Blush fired again, knocking the weapon off track as Adam rushed the distance between them. Blake tugged the ribbon. The gun firing and shooting to her with the blade at Adam's back.

He didn't stop as he swung Blush to intercept the attack and fired again. Blake blocked the bullet with her sheath and parried the following slash before running past him, firing Gambol Shroud again to return it to her hand. She threw a clone at him and lunged at him under the cover with a snarl.

He blocked the strikes but Blake forced him to step back, his footing slipped and she pressed the advantage, hoping to finish him. The blade racked his side but his own came around to her head with a hiss. She blocked the blade but felt the wind leave her when his leg rose into her gut. Blake coughed but just managed to bring her weapons together and slash Adam's chest before she lunged away. His sword split the ground in front of him a moment later.

She braced her feet and sucked in breath as Adam righted himself, sheathing his sword and tugging at his torn jacket. His clothes were the only thing that had suffered any harm. His hand gripped the hilt and his stance shifted again for another attack.

"Adam, wait!" She almost screamed. The other man didn't move but neither did he speak. The slight shift of his head was the only trace that he had even heard her. His eyes remained hidden behind the white mask. "Why are you doing this? Please, we don't have to fight!" her chest was tight and pained. It must have been the blow that she had received. She tried to get her breath back as she watched her old friend.

Adam's mouth twisted into a snarl, baring his teeth. "You know why." He growled. "You betrayed me!" His sword flew from the sheath with a high pitched screech and a flash of red. She side stepped just enough that she could still feel the effect of his power cut the air. She watched it split the ground in front of her and cut a lock of hair from her head that had trailed behind. There was killer intent in that strike.

She saw Adam lunge again, closing the distance in a blink before his blade lashed out. The first slash grazed her chest but the second she caught with Gambol Shroud's sheath.

The sword struck her weapon and she swung her sword low. His sheath caught it and he pushed, making her stumble. He moved in a blur but Blake followed the step and the twist as he quickly sheathed Wilt and spun, drawing it. She drew her arms back but the sword was faster. Blake screamed as the edge cut into her arm and reached her chest, the force lifting her from her feet.

She managed to roll as she hit the ground, leaving a shadow clone to catch Adam's next attack. Her right arm was bleeding over her weapon's hilt. Her fingers dug into the grip as she steadied herself against the wall. Her hand clamped over the wound to staunch the bleeding as Adam took his stance again, sheathing his weapon.

The attack had broken her aura, cut right through it and into her arm. She could still move it, but her blood was flowing. She didn't know how bad it was, or how deep, she couldn't know without examining it, and that she lacked the time for. Adam hesitated, glaring at her without pressing his attack. His face twisted again, this time his lips turning up into a cruel sneer, smiling with his teeth bared. He started laughing as he drew his sword again.

Blake shifted her stance and raised her weapons. "Adam, listen to me!"

"Shut up!" He screamed. Adam shifted his feet and started to lunge, but changed at the last moment, bolting to the right. The ground exploded where his feet had been. Yellow light erupted out from the smoke as Adam skidded to a stop across the street.

The attacker appeared where Adam had stood. Gregor's hand fell to his side, and his head turned sharply from Adam to Blake. "Blake, are you alright?" He called. The girl was stunned for a moment, worried about the flashy entrance. She nodded once, pressing back on her wound. The bleeding was slowing. It wasn't a problem anymore. The other problem, Adam, was on his feet, his sword sheathed again as he faced down his new opponent.

Gregor turned to him as well, straightening his shoulders and spreading his feet. "You know I have a problem with guys that beat up on girls." He held up his empty hand towards Adam. "Why don't we just calm down and talk."

Adam scoffed. In a flash he was gone, a red blur crossing the street with Wilt screaming from the sheath. Gregor shifted, raising a hand and blocking the sword with his book. The leather cover held like steel against the blades edge, deflecting it with a shower of sparks.

"I guess not." Gregor growled. His free hand shot under, catching Adam's ribs with a sharp blow. The swordsman growled and lunged again, nearly slashing Gregor's chest but the man stumbled back. Adam pressed and Gregor deflected the blow again, retaliating with another vicious punch that Adam blocked and then spun into another attack.

Gregor blocked and the two began a fierce dance. Adam lashed out again and again, each blow being evaded or blocked with Gregor's book but the boy was quickly losing ground. He was fast but Adam was clearly the faster of the two.

When Adam tried to bring Wilt down to cleave him in two, Greg caught the blade between the pages of his book. Adam's snarl turned to shock as his weapon was held fast in Gregor's grip. Yellow light burst from his free hand just before he drove it straight into Adam's chest, sending the other boy rocketing across the street with a boom Blake could feel hit her chest.

Adam drove his sword into the stone, halting his movement with jerk. He slowly stood, huffing heavy breaths behind his mask.

"Back down now!" Gregor called. "I don't want to kill you!"

Blush answered from Adam as the man raised his weapon and fired a burst from the rifle.

One went wide. The other two caused bloody eruptions from Gregor's chest. He screamed in pain as he fell back, catching the next bullet with his book. Adam fired another shot before sheathing his sword and rushing in again. Blake didn't wait for Adam to deliver the killing blow and rushed from the wall to intercept him.

Gregor blocked the first strike with his book but the second knocked him off balance. Blake thrust her weapon into the fray, catching Adam's weapon and pushing him back. She lunged at him with a cry, her blade clashing with his in a flurry of metal. She attacked as fiercely as she could, trying to drive him back, to make him slip. He kept pace, matched her blow for blow until he struck back

Their weapons locked. Blake dug her boots against the ground as Adam pressed. His mask shielded his eyes and giving the red slits a furious presence. She could fell his hate, his anger stabbing through her heart. She tried to brace against him but there was something driving him beyond what she had ever seen.

With a growl he shoved, overpowering Blake and knocking her back. Her clone saved her from his blade but the next blow knocked her to the ground. Her aura held the edge at bay but the ground still hurt. Gregor flew back into the fight, attacking Adam with a vicious kick, blocking the counter with his book. Adam planted his foot and drew Wilt for another punishing blow. The edge met Gregor's book, the force carrying him across the ground.

The ground seemed to curl beneath Gregor, slowing and stopping him. He lifted his hand to Adam, palm outstretched. A sphere of golden light circled his hand before erupting in a stream of light. The swordsman sneered, drawing his weapon half from the sheath and blocking the blast with the edge. The light poured around and into his weapon.

The sword clicked back into the sheath, leaving Adam untouched. Instead of a wound, he had a new tooth filled grin across his face. His mask and jacket glowed, radiating power mixed with malice. A palpable destructive glee.

Gregor paled. "That's not good."

"Get away from him!" She knew even as she called it was too late. Adam planted his foot and his hand moved in a blur, pulling Wilt from his sheath in a sharp strike. She couldn't see the attack but she had seen his semblance before. She knew it was there. It was there and gone in the same instant.

The air exploded before Blake, engulfing Gregor with a flash of red light. The explosion was overcome by Gregor's scream as he was sent hurtling through the air, blood spraying the air. She watched his body sail past her and collide with a wall. The brick cracked before letting him tumble to the ground. She looked from Gregor to Adam, who quickly sheathed his sword.

Blake chanced a look back to Gregor who lay motionless on the ground before turning to face Adam, bring her weapon to bear. He took a moment to recover but was already stalking towards her, one hand on his blade.

"Hey!"

The call was echoed with a gunshot striking sparks across the cobblestone between them. Ruby bound down the street, crescent rose unfurled in her hands while Yang ran behind her, hair trailing like a cape. Adam fell back as Ruby fired another round his way. "Blake!" The little girl called again as they neared their friend.

The Faunus girl looked from her team to her old partner. Adam turned his mask to her sharply and back at the newcomers before growling and bounding down the street.

Ruby slid to Blake's side while her sister charged after the fleeing swordsman, weapons ready. Adam didn't break pace as he leapt, spinning in the air. His blade flashed in a dazzling series of swings, each one filling the air with the scrap of steel to stone. The brick building to his side exploding tears appearing along the edge and sending a fierce barrage of rock at his blond pursuer.

Yang stopped, shielding her arms as the rocks fell around her, smashing against her gauntlets and making her stumble back. As she punched last of the rocks out of the air she looked to find her enemy. The swordsman was gone. "Damn it." She cursed quietly.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked gently touching the Faunus girl's shoulder. Blake recoiled from the touch, pressing on her bloody arm. "I'm fine." She said quietly. "It's just a scratch."

"Who was that guy?" Yang asked, rejoining the pair. "Why were you fighting him?"

Blake was quiet. She pressed on the wound, drawing her hand away to see the bleeding had all but stopped. The gash along her upper arm that had bled profusely, while painful, wasn't dangerous. She didn't want to answer Yang's first question. She didn't know how to answer the second one. As she thought about it, a question occurred to her.

"What are you two doing here?" The black haired girl looked form the older sister to the younger one, both bashfully looking away.

"We were getting food and we heard all the fighting." Yang said, her tone was convincing, almost genuine, but she was also a terrible liar. Blake turned her golden eyes on the younger sibling with a sharp glare.

"We were following you!" Ruby blurted. The younger girl quickly covered her mouth trying to pull the confession.

Her skin trembled as the Faunus turned her strongest glare from the younger sister to the older. Ruby was nosy, but only Yang would suggest something underhanded. "Why?" She asked her partner.

Yang dropped the halfhearted smile and replaced it with a motherly scowl Blake had only ever seen used on Ruby. "We were worried. You ran off with this guy after what happened like he's your new best friend. We didn't want you to get hurt."

Blake hadn't heard the last part of her friend's statement. At his mention she had remembered Gregor's state when she last saw him, on the receiving end of Adam's semblance and flying through air, spilling blood. She looked away from Yang to where he had fallen. To her surprise he was not only standing but slowly walking towards them.

"Good to see you girls. I'm glad you didn't get caught up in all of that. Now I think I should get going and you need to explain some of this to the police that are surly coming. Blake should probably get that cut looked at too. Okay?"

None of the girl's paid attention to his words. Their eyes were glued to his chest where a gash had traced from his hip to shoulder, tearing the shirt and jacket while digging into bleeding flesh. The more astonishing act was that as the boy spoke he dragged one finger along the cut, sealing it under his fingertips as thought it was a zipper, leaving his skin and muscle flawless behind his finger.

He shook he torn jacket and before their eyes the cloth stitched itself back together in a perfect imitation of his former state. The grey haired man looked from one girl to another, confusion mirroring their expression. "What?"

**Author note: This will most likely be the last consistent update I have for a while. Between other projects, work and other problems I can't work on this as much as I would like. I will still try to finish it, or at least continue it. I really do feel when I let Darkside into the light it will get easier. **

**I am feeling a bit more confident about what I'm writing now that I have planned more of the story out. **

**So I hope you enjoyed the fight and as always you should tell me. Comments. Yeah, it's right there like an inch below this. C'mon, how hard is it? Thank you in advance for anyone who leaves a review. As always, have fun. **


	6. Chapter 6: Old Faces, New Players

"How did you do that?" Ruby was the first to speak, leaning forward and poking the man in the chest. "I've never seen someone use their aura to heal something that serious."

Gregor stepped back from the girl's prodding finger, his pale face starting to darken. "It's nothing."

"You just keep getting weirder." Yang added behind folded arms.

"Yang." Blake snapped at her partner.

"She's not wrong." Gregor said with a shrug. "But that's not the problem right now. The cops are going to get here soon." As if on cue the wail of sirens began to rise over the streets. "Kinda like that."

"We need to explain what happened." Blake said calmly.

"And you need to get looked at." Ruby added, stepping up to her friend.

Blake lifted her arm. It wasn't bleeding but the cut still ached. "I'll be fine. It's just a scratch." It could heal on its own.

Ruby gave a sudden gasp and whirled to face Gregor. Her face moved an inch from his. "Can you heal Blake like you did yourself?" Her voice rose in pitch the more she spoke.

Gregor again recoiled from the girl. "No, not really. It only works that way for me. Besides, you three need to stay here and talk to police, I have to go to the forest."

"Why?" Ruby and Yang echoed the question, both fixing their eyes on Gregor.

"I thought you were following us?" Blake asked with venom in her voice. She narrowed her eyes on her teammates. "I would think you would already know."

Yang bowed her head, scratching at her mane while Ruby slumped but faced her friend. "We were but we weren't close enough to hear anything. We just wanted to make sure you were safe, Blake." Her face and voice fell. The young girl's eyes made her look too much like a begging puppy. It did little to dampen Blake's anger.

"I can protect myself." She retorted, sharper than she intended.

Ruby winced at the words but continued. "We're friends Blake. We…" Ruby trailed off, looking at the ground sheepishly.

"We don't trust him." Yang added, jabbing a thumb towards the boy in the group.

"Well that hurts." He said with a laugh.

"You don't know him." Blake defended.

"Neither do you." The blond turned on her partner..

"But you won't give him a chance."

"Why does he deserve one?"

"Because I did!"

Yang fell silent. Her eyes lightened and her jaw fell but no words fell out. Blake felt her muscles tighten, her arms locked to her sides as she yelled. It took a long breath to relax and realize what she had meant. Blake took the silence as a chance to continue. "I've done bad things Yang. Worse than anything I've told you girls but I got a second chance. Bad or not, he deserves that chance."

Yang took a long breath and turned sharply on the smaller man. Greg shrank back as Yang took one lunging step towards him bending over so her eyes were level with his. As much as the act was meant to intimidate, Gregor didn't step back thought he did lean as far away from the brawler as his spine would allow.

"Ok." Her answer quick was and quiet.

"OK?" He asked slowly, still somewhat expecting to be hit.

"Ok. I'll trust you for now." With more force than she needed, Yang grabbed the top of his head. The act was something between ruffling his hair and trying to grind his scalp off. "If Blake trusts you, I trust you. I'll give you a chance." She cast a glance back at the ebony haired beauty behind her.

"Wonderful." He grumbled, rubbing his head. The sirens grew suddenly louder as the cars rounded the corner. "I really hope you have some way to make them believe we didn't do all of this." He said turning to survey the damage of the battle. "I would rather not spend another night in jail."

As it turned out, the police had no intention of putting anyone in jail. The entire ordeal from their arrival lasted ten minutes before the kids were sent away. Two officers asked everyone the same questions. What happened? Who was the attacker? What they did and who they were? Their beacon IDs helped everyone but Gregor who simply shrugged, saying his was lost and he was a transfer student.

The cops ignored him, getting their information as more officers arrived to block off the scene. By the time they started roping the area off they were shooing the students back to school with vague warnings and promises.

"Well that was easier than I thought." Gregor said when they left the scene behind.

"They tend to think they know everything." Yang said, throwing her hands behind her head. "So, where are we going?"

"You three are going back to school like the good officer said." The boy said stepping ahead of them. "This isn't your fight girls."

"What fight?" Yang asked, dropping her hands.

"This is our fight." Blake insisted. "We deserve to have a part in this. This is our world."

"No you don't. You're kids. How old are you anyway? Sixteen? Maybe Blondie is eighteen but you are still too young to be getting involved in this."

"You're one to talk." Ruby snapped back. "You're no older than us." Her lips stayed in a firm line, unwilling to validate his guess on age. The team nodded, standing with their leader.

"I am a lot older than I look. You three are still kids. You should not be getting involved in a fight like this."

"We can fight." Yang answered.

"Not something like this." The boy slowly exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I know you want to help but this isn't something I want anyone from this world involved in, let alone a bunch of little girls."

"We are huntresses in training." Blake said defiantly stepping forward to face Gregor. "We have a duty to help people."

The gray man's eyes focused on the girl. "Blake, you know what kind of monster I'm hunting. This is not something I want you all involved with. He is more powerful and dangerous than anything you've ever seen. Fighters or not, he is out of your league." He slowly pressed his hand on her shoulder. "You know I'm right."

She did. It hurt to admit but she knew going along with him would only make them targets. She also knew how fights like this had gone in the past. He was trying to protect them and while it was noble, this wasn't something he needed to do. There was evil in their world and it was their job to stop it.

"We have to help." Ruby said appearing beside Blake and voicing her thoughts. "We're kids, but we're huntresses too. We can fight, we can help."

"I'm with our leader." Yang said, wrapping a strong arm around her sister and another around Blake, pulling the girls together. The blonde's wide toothy grin turned up to Gregor as she crushed the three faces tighter. Ruby and Blake both blushed being crushed to the older girl's beaming cheeks.

He gave a long sigh, rubbing his head. "If I leave you, you're all just going follow me anyway aren't you?" All three heads bobbed in answer. "Son of bitch. Fine. You can clearly handle yourselves in a fight but," He said holding a finger to their faces. "If I say run, you run. If you see something that shouldn't be there, something that you've never seen before, you run. I don't need heroes on my heels."

Ruby gave a sharp salute while Yang shrugged and Blake gave a slow nod. He let his face fall. It was most likely the best he was going to get short of tying them up and leaving them here. He had to shake his head to banish that thought. He had doubt that would hold them off for more than an hour, and it wasn't the best way to improve relations.

"Fine, in that case lead the way cause I still have no clue where this forest is." His arm waved weakly down the street, stepping to the side

"Alright gang!" Ruby said leaping to the head of the pack, extending her hand to the air. "We are on a mission! To the forest of Forever Fall!" the young girl vanished, leaving behind a dusting of rose petals fluttering in the wind. Yang laughed, striding after her sister, hands casually tucked behind her head again.

Greg slipped his hands into his pockets and looked to Blake. "They still don't know what they're getting into or what we're looking for."

"But they have spirit." She said with a small smile.

The boy turned his eyes back on her, the dark color brooding and intense. "They shouldn't be involved and neither should you." His tone was low and warning. "I don't want to see that kind of spirit broken. Kids deserve to be kids."

"We're not kids." Blake said stepping past him adding the last comment over her shoulder. "We're huntresses."

Greg sighed and looked to his book, tapping the cover as he followed the woman. "Innocence is the price of victory." He muttered to himself, recalling an old quote. The idea made his eyes burn but he pushed it back and followed girls. He would protect them.

. . .

Adam pulled farther back into the shadow of the bridge. Another pair passed by, one an officer and another citizen complain about the fighting. Stupid humans. This was between him and Blake but they all kept getting involved. First it was that man and then the other two girls.

The young man growled to himself, shifting his weapon across his chest he pulled deeper into the darkness beneath the bridge. Between his coat and the darkness no one would find him without really looking. If they looked that hard, he would just remove them. It wasn't like they mattered anyway. She mattered.

His knuckles turned white as he clenched Blush in his hand. She had betrayed him. She had abandoned him. The way she looked back at him, the way she looked at him today. She pitied him. It wasn't right! He wasn't someone weak to be pitied. He was strong, stronger than her or any of the White Fang. He didn't need pity, and he didn't need her kind of betrayal.

"Hello there."

Adam spun in the space, drawing Wilt a full inch before he paused. He knew this one. The tall creature stood in the dark with him, dark coat hiding him as well as Adam but his pale skin stuck out. He was dangerous but not to him. With a huff Adam slid his weapon back into its sheath and retook his spot. "What do you want?"

"Seems things didn't work out." The new arrival said with a purr in his voice, ignoring Adam's question.

"She wasn't alone." He hissed. "There was another one with her, some boy. Before I could end it two other girls showed up." His hand shook as he gripped the hilt of his weapon.

"Her teammates." The other man added. "They were quick to her defense."

"It doesn't matter. Next time I'll be ready. Next time I'll kill her and anyone who gets in the way." Adam growled back.

"Now I admire that can do attitude but she knows you're coming now. Besides, I know this boy with her. He's a dangerous one." He could feel the other one shift under the bridge. "She deserves to die, she deserves to suffer more than that but you can't do it alone. They are stronger than you"

"What do you suggest?" He turned to face the other one, his form blending with the shadow under the bridge. He could still make out the shape beneath the dark, large and menacing.

"Your friends in that group, the White fang, you still have connections with them, right?"

"I left them." Adam turned his head away. "They won't let me come back."

The dark man chuckled. "I'm sure they can't turn down a man with your skill. Besides, you'll be bringing them a new ally. Take me to meet them and I promise we can do more. I can help you show that bitch what real pain is. That's what you want right? You want her to suffer for betraying you like that?"

Adam paused and looked back his new ally. He was evil. There was no denying that. It was worse than the humans who had beaten him when he was younger, worse than anyone who had wronged him. He was looking at absolute evil that transcended even the Grimm. It flowed out from him like a thick scent he could feel on his tongue.

But that didn't matter.

"Yeah." He growled. "I want her to suffer. Maybe I can contact them. With their resources we could take the whole school, maybe even the city."

The dark chuckled again. "I promise, between them and me, we can take all of it." Adam looked back as the man stepped forward, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his black coat. His pale face curled into a vicious, wide grin, showing his sharp teeth. He gave a chuckle, his pitch black eyes settling on Adam's mask.

"We're going to have so much fun."

**Author notes: Well looks like I made another chapter. I am getting my interest back with the new trailer released so maybe there is a future to this story. I am still splitting time in between this, work and other projects, plus I might have to take some more hours to keep the bills paid but hey stuff happens. **

** So I hope I'm keeping everyone as in character as I can manage but I will admit to feeling bad about how I had Yang acting and Blake… well Blake is a little messed up so she's not quite right.**

** As always, you should totally leave a review. You know tell me how awesome I am. Cause let's be honest here for a second, I am amazing. It's okay, I know. **

** Ok I'm done. Until next time, keep breathing and keep reading. **


	7. Chapter 7: Something New

The last day of the weekend meant many things. A last chance to finish work that should have been done days ago, to others it was the day to cherish and enjoy before returning to the monotonous grind of schooldays. To team JNPR, it was all of three.

Jaune blocked the next blow and tried to swing his own but it was met with only air. Pyrrha had stepped away from the halfhearted swing and came back with her own restrained strike across Jaune's open back. The blond cried out and stumbled forward but kept to his feet.

"Don't overextend." She warned, taking her stance again. "Don't drop your guard even when you attack."

The leader groaned and got back into his own stance to face his partner. He was winded already, his breaths coming in long gasps. "Alright." He answered. After a pause he lunged again, his shield staying up to block the next blow Pyrrha sent at him. The two danced in the gym, swords meeting shields with light raps of metal.

It made Pyrrha smile to see Jaune putting so much effort into his training. He still wasn't putting real force behind his attacks, but this was light sparring, not a tournament. She parried his overhead blow with her own weapon and shoved her shield against his. He stumbled but caught himself, bracing himself and pushing back with a grunt.

She smiled and struck high next but he parried with his shield. His counter was weak. It only managed to tap her shield. The duel had ended a while ago, now it was just Jaune continuing to push himself. Ever since the incident in the forest he had pressed Pyrrha more and more for extra practice. It was amazing the progress he had made in such a short time, but he was still below the average for Beacon. A gap he was working to quickly close.

For now, Pyrrha ended the duel with a quick decisive blow across his chest. He tumbled across the floor and remained there panting heavily but making no move to get up.

"Ready to call it a day?" She asked, getting her breathing back under control. She wasn't nearly as exhausted as Jaune but the fighting still took the wind out of her. Helping Jaune always made for a good workout and was far less stressful than trying to control Nora.

"Yeah." The boy stayed on the ground, sprawled on his back. He waved his hand limply above his head and twitched violently. "I think my back is broken."

"Sorry." She giggled walking over to her leader. According to the scroll his Aura was still intact but weakened. She offered her hand and Jaune reluctantly took it, staggering to his feet while he put away his weapon.

"How about some food? I'm starving." He suggested, still catching his breath. He was standing which was more than could be said about their first heavy sparring session. Since then they moved the full sparring matches away from their rooftop spot to somewhere with less height and hard rocks.

"Sounds good." She said walking towards the door and tucking Milo on her back. "I know a good place in town. They serve the best chicken."

"I could eat a Beowulf right now." Jaune groaned, jogging to catch up to the crimson haired girl. Pyrrha laughed and the two began the journey down to the dorm. Rena and Nora were there and waved off the invitation to join. Nora was finishing work that should have been done two days ago while Ren helped her and finished his own work, his being preemptive. The pair grabbed money and left.

The partners left the school together, Pyrrha leading them to the restaurant while elaborating on her claims of their cuisine.

"It's not really expensive is it?" The blond asked as they crossed the courtyard. "I'm only rich in laughs." He added with a chuckle.

"Don't worry it's not that bad. Besides I'm paying this time. Nope. I don't want to hear it." She silenced Jaune when he opened his mouth to object. "It's a reward for how much better you've been doing. You deserve it."

The boy smiled as his face began to darken. "Am I really doing better? I still feel like every time I make a move I trip over my own feet."

Pyrrha gripped his shoulder gave him a firm squeeze. "You're doing much better Jaune. And I can tell you're only going to improve. Now come on, We need to beat the rush." She tugged him along.

She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy spending time with Jaune but he was so awkward. It was cute, deep down there was the hope he would get past his stumbling and become the man she saw. There was more to him than met the eye and she wanted to be there when it finally came out. For now she would enjoy getting to be around him without having to beat him up.

"Ahh!" Both turned as a scream echoed across the courtyard followed by an explosion.

"What was that?" Jaune blinked between the source back towards the school and Pyrrha. The warrior woman drew Milo and Akouo.

"Let's find out. Come on." Jaune didn't waste a second drawing his own weapons and following on her heels. Another explosion sounded with a cloud of smoke from another exit. Tumbling through the smoke a familiar face came running away turning to face the exit expectantly. Her legs stumbled and she nearly fell to the ground.

"Velvet!" Pyrrha called to the faunus girl gaining her attention. The mage looked to Pyrrha and her partner panting. She bore several dark marks across her combat uniform. Her weapon was in hand, dust floating around her.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked, helping the girl to stand.

"Some kind of monster." Her high voice gasped between gasps. "It's in the school. When I found it, it attacked me." She managed to stand on her own and looked back at the exit.

"A Grimm in the school?" Jaune asked, facing the vanishing smoke cloud.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before. Nothing I did seemed to work."

Pyrrha gave the girl a quick glance before turning back on the exit. The smoke was gone but there was no trace of any enemy. "Is there a chance you got it?" She asked.

"I-I don't know. I didn't see I just used my strongest spell to get away."

In answer, a deep drawn hiss slid out of the hall ahead of them. Then the shape appeared, taking form. It wasn't a Grimm, at least not any that Pyrrha had ever seen. It had long legs and arms, hanging down near the ground. Every inch of skin was smooth dark black, a shade darker than the tattered clock that hung off its back and shrouded its face. With another low hiss to tilted the hood on the three standing before it, flexing the cloth covered arms at its side.

"Velvet, go and get the first teacher you can find." Jaune said stepping beside Pyrrha, his shield raised. "Bring them back here."

"No! I can help!" the faunus cried.

The leader shook his head. "You're hurt. Pyrrha and I will watch it. Get a teacher." It was hardly the time, but the way he gave the command made Pyrrha a little proud.

The rabbit girl hesitated but conceded. "I'll be back. Be careful, no matter how much I hurt it, it didn't stop." With that the Faunus darted off with impressive speed. Pyrrha returned her gaze to the creature. Its head tuned to follow the fleeing the girl. It coiled its body for a lunge but Pyrrha lunged first, diving in its path and swinging Milo in a wide arc.

She felt the blade tear through the attacker but there was almost no resistance, like cutting through jello. With a snap its arm the attacked raked across Akouo. Jaune's cry came from behind, but the cloaked man swung on the boy with a sharp backhand. His shield absorbed the blow but it still knocked him to the ground.

"Jaune!" She yelled as she switched Milo to the spear and drove the weapon at the enemy's back. It made a guttural hiss as the blade sank into its back again meeting only the slightest resistance. There was substance there but it was so weak it gave no resistance to the blow as a Grimm's hide should.

She blocked the blind swing with Akuouo and tore Milo from the creature's side spinning to stand beside Jaune as he rose up. "Are you alright?" She asked without looking away.

"I'm fine. He's got blades in his sleeves." The blond reported taking a deep breath before raising his weapons. "We just have to keep it here until Velvet gets back."

She nodded, still not wanting to look away even as the hood turned on them. Then she couldn't look away as it defied the laws of nature.

With a bone splitting crack it changed. The cloak seemed to melt into its body revealing a thin pitch black form of a rounded head. The yellow eyes were the only color change as its arms wavered, the fingers each extending to sword like blades, scratching the concrete. Its thin frame suddenly bulged, muscles quickly defining themselves. A bright white smile appeared under the eyes, long rows of white fangs gleaming in the light with a manic grin.

"That is terrifying." Jaune's voice was little more than a breath as he spoke, rising in pitch.

"Is it a Grimm?" The huntress asked herself as the beast shifted its stance. Its body bulged again, giving it more muscle. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen or read about. With a snap, the beast lunged again this time on longer legs.

Jaune met the charge with howl. The blow drove him back but his shield held and he made a wild swing at its head. The blade caught across the beast chest, tearing flesh from its frame. It didn't pause as it brought its claws around to rake his unguarded flank. The claws met Pyrrha's shield before she drove Milo through its arm.

"Push!" Jaune called and Pyrrha obeyed shoving her shield with all her might. Beside her Jaune did the same and the beast stumbled back, tumbling over its back. The huntress darted in switching Milo to the short sword before driving it down, pinning the monster through the heart and twisting for good measure.

It felt more solid now but still not quite like stabbing Grimm. The blow it swiped across her chest felt real enough though. She tumbled back, getting to her feet with her weapon in hand. The scratch hadn't got past her aura, but it still hurt. The beast rolled upright, no sign of damage showing on its black skin.

_What is this thing?_ Pyrrha spun Milo in her grip and aimed the rifle at her enemy. The gun spat in her hands, bullets splattering across the monsters face and chest. Each bullet tore a chunk from its body but only black ash erupted from the wounds. With a hiss it lunged through the bullets. Pyrrha stepped back but before she could guard Jaune was there, leaping in the path of the attack and catching the blow across his shield.

The beast followed with another heavy slash that tore at the shield with a grinding scream but Jaune held, only his feet scraping the concrete. With a lunge he swung back, his sword finding purchase along the creatures short neck. It staggered, swaying as black dust spilled from its neck. For a moment it felt back, but after a moment the wound sealed and the beast rose again. A cruel hiss emanated from its core.

"Jaune we have to run." Pyrrha said placing a hand on his back and switching Milo back to the spear. "We cannot kill it." She didn't like the idea of running but nothing was having any effect. If they stayed, with both of them already tired it would wear them down before long.

"We have to wait for velvet." He said stepping back and keeping his shield raised. "We can't let this thing run around the school." As if understanding, the beast rolled its arms with a series of cracks, fanning its claws out like a nevermore spreading tis wings. Then with a swiftness that betrayed its size, it lunged.

The gunshot drowned out everything and left a terrible ringing in the children's ears. In the same instant the creature jerked to the side in a cloud of dust, its remains tumbling over the concrete like a ragdoll.

Pyrrha followed the shot back to the tall, slender man standing in the courtyard, a heavy rifle set against his shoulders. He was much older, his face hidden behind a set of round glasses, wearing a plain white dress shirt and dark pants. It might be the only time Pyrrha was glad to see the man.

"What is going on here?" Professor Artimus asked, stalking towards the fallen creature, cycling the bolt of his rifle. Behind the professor, Velvet stood with him her hands raised in a fighting stance. "That is interesting." The older man muttered.

The monster seemed intent on answering for itself as it scrambled to its feet, the hole over its head stitching itself back together. Pyrrha stood ready but the creature turned its gaze towards the new arrival lunging with hiss at the older man.

The gun snapped to his shoulder before Artimus let another round fly. The bullet tore through he beast's shoulder throwing black ash over the ground but did not deter the charge. He stepped back, flipping his rifle over his wrist. The weapon began to shift, twisting its frame and bending the barrel. With a snap, the older man gripped the new handle and swung. The blade of the saber caught the beast's claws, sweeping them aside and letting the professor twist his sword, tearing the edge through the monster's abdomen.

The black beast stumbled back and hissed again. Artimus shifted his feet and held the saber up, moving himself between the beast and the other two in the courtyard. Velvet stayed close to his back and stepped away when the spectacled man jerked his chin towards the others.

The monster stood to full height, all trace of tis injury gone. It paused and slowly twisted its head, regarding them all with its luminous eyes and a manic, tooth filled grin. With a crack of bones breaking, two black wings erupted from the creature's spine and in the same movement carried it into the air.

"No!" Pyrrha called, turning Milo into a rifle and firing after the creature but the bullets did nothing to deter it as the creature rose into the air and ascended higher than she could see, flying away from Beacon.

"Let it go." The cold tone came from right behind her, just before the hand settled on her shoulder. "No need to pursue it now." She turned to face the dark haired professor. He stared down regarding her from behind his glasses.

"Sorry sir." She bowed her head and slung her weapon down. Now she felt winded, her breath coming in deep pants. "Sir, what kind of Grimm was that? I've never seen anything like that."

"It wasn't." The man said slowly turning sword into its rifle form before folding it in and slinging it over his back. "None that I've ever seen. It's interesting." He turned to face them the first smile passing over his face. "You both did well against it from what I see. You as well miss Scarlatina. You all did an fine job."

The blond gave a halfhearted laugh and rubbed his head. "Yeah well, Pyrrha did most of real fighting."

"Thank you sir." Velvet added, giving a small bow.

The redhead jabbed Jaune sharply in the ribs making him wince and fall. She quickly covered her mouth when she realized her playful blow had been a little too hard. "I'm sorry." She apologized, helping her partner to his feet.

Artimus gave a single chuckle. "Miss Scarlatina, they both seem fine to me. We should get you to the nurse and get those injuries examined. I would recommend you two getting some food and rest."

Velvet rubbed her arm where the cloth had been torn and nodded slowly. Pyrrha watched her out of the corner of her eyes. Artimus placed a hand on her back and led the girl away from the pair towards the school building.

"Sir!" he paused, turning his head back to Pyrrha with a raised eyebrow. "What about the enemy?"

He looked up and wrinkled his face in thought. "Let it go." He said casually. "I'll report it to Ozpin and look into it myself. Until then I recommend you keep your guard up. Next time there might not be someone to save you."

Pyrrha watched the man leave, feeling the same strange mix of admiration and disgust she felt with every lesson she had to tolerate the man. "He so strange."

"I don't' know. He seems nice." Jaune still sounded out of breath while Pyrrha had regained her posture. "I'm more worried about the tall dark and creepy. I wonder where it went."

"I'm more curious as to why." She faced Jaune, her face creased in thought. "It wasn't winning, but nothing we did could hurt that thing. I don't understand why it fled."

"Maybe it was just scared?" Jaune offered, beginning to walk urging Pyrrha to follow, albeit slowly.

"I'm also worried about what it was. That wasn't a Grimm Jaune. Grim don't act like that and they can shape shift like that thing did. Whatever it is, its dangerous. And I don't understand why Professor Artimus isn't more concerned. He obviously doesn't understand. Maybe Velvet can make him understand." She touched her chin.

It was dangerous. It had been in the school, not just on the ground. It attacked Velvet for no apparent reason and then fled once the professor arrived and traded a few blows with it. It had regenerated any damage to it in seconds. Now it was out there somewhere. Apparently able to fly.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune's hand before her face made the girl snap back to reality. "You ok?"

The emerald eyed girl smiled. "Yeah. C'mon, I still owe you food." Pyrrha walked ahead pulling Jaune along behind her. If Jaune wasn't worried now there was no sense in making him concerned. The professor could be right and he would handle it. If she was wrong, there was nothing to do now. Now was the time to enjoy the little chances they got.

She looked back to Jaune, stumbling after her with that same dumbstruck gaze he cast at the world. For a little while longer she would let him be Jaune. Before she had to make him be a leader.

**Author notes: Ok children, here is team JNPR! Yay. This was a hard point to put in since I needed to get JNPR involved but I find I have trouble writing Ren and Nora. Jaune and Pyrrha however are fun to write though I'm still not that confident I did this chapter well. I did throw in Velvet for little reason other than I needed a student and figured, why not?**

**Ok. So now we move on. I am still working on this as much as I can but with my car in and out of shops all week I haven't been able to get much work done. So here's hoping for good things there and that I can get more done here.**

**Well, though I don't deserve it at this point, unless its hate I guess, I would still like to beg like a puppy for reviews. Reviews wrapped in bacon would actually be great. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to work on my novel and get bacon. Mmm bacon. **


	8. Chapter 8: Parting of Ways

The forest's red leaves fell around his head, swirling in the wind. A scent of sweetened pine mixed among them. Gregor snatched one and rolled the crimson between his fingers as he examined it. "Nothing." He muttered, casting the leaf aside. "Absolutely nothing."

Ahead of him, the girls continued their slow pace through the woods. He had no way of tracking the time but the sun was beginning to fall behind the trees and it had been much higher when the search of the forest had begun. Since entering the red woods, they had seen nothing.

For a long time the girls remained on guard, but after a time they had settled. When no attacks seemed immanent they had simply walked, occasional conversation between Ruby and Yang breaking the stillness. Until Now, Gregor had done everything in his power to avoid speaking. He sidestepped any questions passed his way and feigned deafness when he couldn't think of better way out.

Blake seemed to be the only one who noticed. She shot the man glances every few minutes and had made several offhand comments. None had elected a reaction from him. While they had lowered their guard with no sign of attack he seemed to be expecting the trees themselves to attack them at any second.

Gregor stood looking up at the red trees around him. He had seen forests like this before in another world. Red leaves and Grass that went on miles. This forest had something more to it. He could feel some kind of evil in the air. A greasy stain somewhere beneath the sweet scent of the leaves and bark around him, but despite the sick sense they had yet to encounter anything.

"Does it bother anyone else we haven't seen any Grimm?" Ruby asked, turning back to Blake and Gregor. Yang shrugged but Blake seemed more disturbed.

"They may be avoiding us, but I haven't seen any trace of them. I haven't heard anything either. If they are hiding, they are doing a very good job." She reported.

"No sign of Darkside either." Gregor added. "He's not here."

"You're sure?" Ruby asked and he nodded. With a long sigh he let his collapse and fell into a seat among the red leaves. A few errant red dots clung to his grey hair as the plume settled.

Yang stepped next to the fallen man with hands on her hips. "Even if we did find him, what are you going to do?"

Gregor paused and focused his eyes on the blonde beside him, the dark iris intent. "I'm going stop him. Kill him if I can."

"You sure you can?" he turned his head to Ruby who stood a bit further away, one arm tucked behind her back and rocking on her feet. "I mean, you got beat up by that guy from before. If Darkside is so bad, can you really beat him?"

"I didn't want to kill that guy. I was holding back." Yang arched a brow at his words and he seemed to notice turning on her. "I'm not lying." He defended.

"I didn't say you were."

"I was holding back."

"Hey I get it."

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped, letting his jaw fall closed with a huff. "I have to find him first. He's still hiding somewhere else."

"How do you know he's not hiding here somewhere?" Blake added, giving the trees around them a wary glance. There was nothing moving beyond the shadows but if he was as powerful; as Gregor lead them to believe there was no reason he couldn't conceal his presence.

Gregor gave something between a laugh and a scoff. "If he was here he wouldn't be able to resist messing with us." His shoulders fell as he spoke and his tone dropped. "He may be a brilliant cunning monster but he is extremely petty and sadistic. He won't expose himself to me right now, but he wouldn't be able resist testing me and you."

"Why wouldn't he attack directly?" Ruby asked settling into the grass beside him.

The boy held up his book. He gave the leather tome a slight shake as he spoke. "I've got the book. I'm stronger than him right now and he knows it."

"So he'll hide." Blake added taking a seat beside Gregor.

The boy shook his head. "He'll never hide, he just plans. He'll keep his distance but it's not in his nature to lay low and hide. He almost can't help but cause trouble and chaos. It's as much a part of him as breathing. Wherever he is, destruction will be right behind him."

"I still don't get why having a book makes you so much stronger than him?' Yang finally gave in and fell among the leaves with her friends, her hair splaying among the grass and snaking among natures remnants. "It's a book. They get boring after a while."

The other two girls gave the blond a pair of venomous glares she remained oblivious to. Gregor simply rubbed the cover of the tome in his hands idly as he spoke.

"The book is how we've moved between worlds. It's the only thing that came with me from my home. It's been with me in every world and even though I still don't know everything about it I know a few things for sure. When I'm holding it, it's like a well of power. I can draw on it. With that power I can do a lot more."

Blake turned her eyes to the man. He was lost in thought. His eyes glazed over the book in his lap. Another image fell over him. This one, a ghostly glimpse of him with book in hand, radiant light flowing form his body.

"Ok." Ruby said defiantly turning on her butt to face the man. "So we just have to find this guy."

"No." He whispered. He closed his eyes and slowly turned to face Ruby before opening them on her. His brow creased. "I know you want to help but this isn't some hunt you can follow me on. This is going to take time. Don't look at me like that, it's not about protecting you it's about letting you all have your lives." He added as Bake opened her mouth to object.

He wasn't wrong. AS the girls traded glances they admitted it to themselves as well. School stared back tomorrow and it wouldn't let them go chasing some bad guy on the whim of a stranger. Gregor seemed to sense his victory, turning away from the girls before falling back into the leaves with a grunt. The act threw red leaves into the air, swirling through the air in a chaotic mass around the girls.

"I like it here." He muttered.

"What do you like?" Yang asked turning a curious brow to him.

"It's beautiful." He laughed the response, as if it was obvious. "It smells wonderful too. Like some weird mix of pine and sweet flowers. I've seen some great places in the past but never a red forest."

"What kind of places have you seen?" Ruby asked, drawing her knees to her chest and falling with the others to glance up at the trees.

"More places than you can imagine." He said. His tone dipped but the way he spoke reminded Ruby of Qrow's voice when he told old war stories. "I've seen the great mountains of Gimel, the crystal seas of Calera, the wax forest of Calderon and more. I've even seen a place where clouds were firm enough to lay on and take a nap."

"That's impossible." Yang added while crossing her hands behind her head.

"Not there. The rules are different. I wish I could tell you even half of it but it would take ages to explain." A beaming smile pulled at his face as the memory touched him. "It's not even the places, it's the people sometimes. I've met some incredible people. The Valkyries, warriors born with these powerful wings. Kids who are ghosts, young men that are old and people with more courage than they have brains"

"What about your home?" Ruby asked, turning to look at the boy. A playful smile was painted across her face. "What kind of world do you come from? Is it filled with flying animals and magical trees?"

Greg scoffed. "No, my home was very average. Come to think of it, I'm not sure average is a word I'm allowed to use anymore." Blake chuckled and even Yang drew her eyes back to the boy as he spoke. "My world had no magic. We dint have monsters running around, dust or anything like that. We just kind of got through day to day. It was simple but there was a lot to appreciate about it."

"What happened?" Yang asked turning to look.

"Darkside." As if it were final, Greg rolled back to sitting position. They all looked at his back. His grey shoulders fell and rolled. "When Darkside came into existence my world didn't have to power to fight him off. I wasn't strong enough back then and he killed everyone. In the end I managed to beat him enough to throw him back in the book he came from, but I had to chase him. Make sure he didn't do it again somewhere else."

He gave a long sigh as his fingers played at the pages. "That was a long time ago. As far as I know, my home is gone."

Yang looked to him and let her eyes fall away before she muttered. "Sorry.".

"Don't be. You didn't know." Blake looked at Greg but then turned her gaze away when he caught her eyes. She did know, not everything but she could remember fleeting image. Fractured memories of a home, of family, fleeting and far away. Dwelling on them made her eyes water.

"Well, what about the guy who attacked you two?" Ruby added from her spot. "Was that guy working with him? Maybe we can find this Darkside guy if we find that guy instead."

"Whoever that guy was he's not connected to Darkside. Blake might know who he is though." Gregor said with a shrug.

No one looked to see Blake's face pale as he spoke.

"How would she know?" Yang asked turning to look at Gregor. The boy rolled his hands up without facing her.

"All I know is she called him by name before I showed up. She must at least know who he is. So maybe you can explain why he did that Blake." His words fell into silence when he turned and saw the way her face was creased, the tight line her mouth was pressed into. "Crap. I messed up didn't I?"

"No." The faunus sat up and pulled her legs to her chest. "They deserve to know." It wasn't a lie. Her team did deserve to know about the man from her past, the threat he apparently imposed. It didn't make her any happier to bear that part of her past to her friends.

"Deserve to know what?" Yang asked, now pulling from her space next to the black haired woman. With a soft touch her heavy arm wrapped around the smaller girl's shoulder. "Is it about the White Fang?" Blake nodded once into yang's arm.

"You don't have to hide from us Blake." Ruby added, joining her sister beside her friend. Her small head bobbed as Ruby gave a halfhearted smile.

It was tempting. She knew if she said so they wouldn't pressure her. Ever since the weekend she disappeared they had respected her privacy so long as it wasn't dangerous. They encouraged her and she had shared some of her happier times in the White Fang, even some of the random moments from her childhood and how she felt about the new group.

She hid the reality. She didn't mention the hatred she still felt, the times she had been treated low, left out and outright hated by others for who she was. She never mentioned it but they never asked. This wasn't the same. This would be direct lying to her friends. In truth it wasn't any different, but in her mind it was enough to force her to speak.

She forced the sick feeling in her chest away and faced Ruby without a smile. "No." She muttered as firmly as she could. "You deserve to know. I didn't think he would ever come back, that's why I never told you."

"Hey don't sweat it," Yang added, her infectious smile returning. "I haven't told you about all of my boyfriend's either. I've got some real stories I could tell, if you know what I mean." She gently ribbed her friend with her elbow electing a burning red hue from Blake's face.

"Eww yang!" Ruby yelled covering her ears and shaking her head. "That's nasty! I don't want to Hear that!"

"Oh come on, you're growing up. I bet you've had eyes on Jaune since you got here." The older turned her attention her little sister, grabbing and ruffling the bubble of red and black hair.

As the two continued to spit remarks, Blake watched, a genuine smile touching her lips. Gregor shifted and she saw him sit back, a smile on his lips but he turned away. His face looked as if it couldn't decide to be happy or start crying.

"That's… That's not even…" Whatever Yang's last comment had been it left Ruby speechless and Yang sneering at her younger sister. With a face as red as her hood Ruby buried it her arms, crossed over her drawn knees, trying shut out her sister's now growing laughter. While it was funny to watch, Blake came to the young girl's rescue.

"Yang, Adam was never my boyfriend." The statement seemed to pull the blonde's attention from tormenting her sister and even succeed in getting a red faced Ruby to remove her eyes from her sleeves to face her friend. "We were friends, but never like that." The idea was making her burn up a little. It wasn't that Adam hadn't been attractive and strong. Firm in what he believed and always there, but it had never become anything more than that.

"So, why would he try to hurt you?" Ruby asked, the red faded from her cheeks, now replaced with a look of curious trepidation.

"He embraced the White Fang's violent new course. I didn't." She looked down as she spoke. "He was more than willing to let people get hurt and killed if it was for the cause. I couldn't stand it. So during one of our missions, I left. He was the last person I saw before I left the White Fang. I always assumed he hated me for abandoning him, but I never thought he hated me so much."

She didn't want to show it but just thinking about it was making her hands clench. Having to see the results of burning the bridges with the White Fang hurt. Knowing it was there was one thing, having it chase you down was another.

The girls noticed. Yang's hand found its way to rest on the girl's shoulder and Ruby sat at attention, a child enthralled by the story but respectful of the message it carried. The clearing filled in silence before it was broken by two sounds, one following the other.

"That's horrible!"

"Jesus Christ!"

From above, the bright burning ball of color fell, hanging upside down. Sun looked around the group after adding his opinion. In the same instant, Greg screamed and leapt to his feet, brandishing his book like sword at the newcomer. With a lazy roll, Sun fell from the tree and landed in a cross legged place beside Blake, facing Greg. "You ok?"

"Why the hell would you sneak up on us like that?" The other boy yelled. His chest beat with heavy breaths while he stared down the other boy.

"I didn't. I've been here the whole time." With an absent motion he bit into the banana in his hand. "I mean what's the big deal?" he added as he chewed.

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full." Gregor added, settling back into his spot. Sun seemed to ignore the boy's comment. As the two had argued, the girls had stared at the faunus as he descended the tree and settled in with them. No one felt the need to voice a concern over his apparent spying and sudden interruption. Greg let his gaze linger over Sun and his bag of food. "You got any apples?"

He caught the casually thrown fruit and appraised it before taking a hefty, loud bite.

"Why were you following us Sun?" Blake asked refusing another piece of fruit he offered. He smiled but she wouldn't let herself do the same. After a moment his faltered.

"Just curious why a group of girls goes running off into forest with a strange boy." Sun shot a fleeting glace towards Gregor. "After all the noise in town I was curious." He added with a shrug.

She let herself smile now. Curious was Sun's way of saying he was worried. The boy had been hanging around them a lot, despite his status as a foreign student and their implied rivalry he had been nothing if not kind and amusing for the last month. Loudmouth and with a vague respect of the law, he was good when he tried. "We were looking for someone."

"Well you found him." He declared pointing a thumb to his own exposed chest and laughing. Ruby joined him and Yang soon after. Blake didn't laugh but her smile persisted. It wasn't likely she could get a straight answer out of the boy so she resolved to let his snooping go. It was well intended if nothing else.

"How much did you hear Sun?" Gregor asked, now seated again and swallowing his apple in small bites.

The golden haired boy faced the grey headed one with a look of half interest, idly eating his own food before he spoke. "I only just caught up. But I did hear enough about you talking about other worlds. Guess there is more to you than I thought."

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Yang added with a firm wave of the hand from her position in the grass. Everyone gave a collective sigh except Sun. The boy slapped her hand with a firm chuckle of satisfaction.

Greg turned his head to the sky before taking another large bite from the apple. "It's getting late." He said staring at the sun as it descended behind the trees. The rays began to bath the world in burning oranges and darkening reds that gave the forest floor a menacing yet luminescent quality.

"Well Sun, can I trust you to get these ladies back home safe and sound?" Gregor said, rolling to his feet and hurling the remains of his apple into the forest.

The faunus chuckled. "I doubt you have to worry about that." He said with a grin. After a moment of appraising the smile Gregor let it go, hoping it wasn't as creepy as he thought.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked, rising to her feet as well.

"I'm off to find Darkside." He said opening his book. "He's out there and I'm gonna find him. With any luck it won't take long and I can stop him before he does any major damage."

"You're just going to leave?" Yang whined from her position rolling to face the boy.

"What about us?" Blake added.

"You live your lives." He said with a weak shrug. "Just pretend I never showed up. With any luck we'll never see each other again."

"Ow." Sun said with mock hurt, putting a hand to his chest.

"That's not it." The boy defended weakly, sounding more tired than annoyed. "If I do my job right, then you won't see trace of me or Darkside ever again."

"You can't come back afterwards?" Ruby asked.

His face fell as the girl spoke. "Yeah, are you too good to come back and say hi?" Yang added only making the boy look more dejected. Blake was about to interject when he brightened up suddenly.

"Yeah, you're right. I can manage to come back some day. Might be awhile though." The smile was forced, almost painfully so but the sisters seemed ignorant to it. As they agreed to terms, Blake caught his eyes. There was a lie behind his face.

She watched Gregor make more false promises to return and take Ruby up on offers of good food, happy activities and Yang's suggestive ideas. It was amusing to see the strange boy blush.

"Sun," he added getting the other boy's attention. Gregor offered his hand down to the other fighter. "Wish we could have gotten along a bit better."

Sun smirked and waved his hand. "Don't sweat it."

He gave a nod of his head to Blake and added. "Now, who wants to see one last magic trick?" Ruby's hand shot up but she quickly pulled it back when she saw no one else move.

Gregor didn't seem to notice, stepping away from the group and opening his book in one hand. With a wave, the pages began to tear their way free of the book, floating of their own accord about him as if he were the center of a tornado. Ruby watched as the pages arranged behind him, latching to his back like glue and began to take a shape. After the pages settled, more than should have been in the book, Gregor gave one swift beat of his new paper wings and soared into the air through the red trees and into the world beyond.

Sun was the first to speak after sound of windswept paper faded. "Ok, I'll admit it. That was pretty cool."

**Author's notes: Holy exposition Batman! This was a really long one with a lot of edits but I like how it ended up. I do understand that this was a lot of exposition but I had to get some of this information out there. I hope I got it out so it wasn't boring to read. **

**So volume 2 is coming out now. I have yet to watch it but I must. I will try to keep to my schedule as much as I can even as I hopelessly fan boy over this series. **

**It's that time again, where I fall to my knees and cry like a baby for people to leave a review/comment for the story! ….. You should do that. **


	9. Chapter 9: Darkness Rising

The only evidence that Weiss had moved was the difference of the books arraigned around her. As her team entered she regarded each with her cold eyes. Ice seemed ready to crawl over them as their teammate fixed them with the glare. The heiress returned her gaze to the book as she spoke, her voice dull and uninterested. "It's about time."

"Hey it's only," Yang paused to look at wrist and then around the room for a cloak before looking back at the white haired girl. "Late." She finished with a shrug.

"You should have come, Weiss," Ruby said slipping across the room with a whoosh of air. The hooded girl slid to the bed beside her friend. "Turns out he's not that bad after all he's like some kinda superhero from another world, not like an alien, a little like an alien but he's fighting this monster and he needed our help to find it but we didn't find it and…"

"Stop!" Weiss's call echoed bringing Ruby to a sudden silence. "I don't want to hear about whatever it is you three got into today. Your here and that's what matters." The heiress returned to her book with a wave. The three standing shared a silent glance before looking at the focused heiress.

"You're not even a little curious about the weird guy?" Yang asked making a running leap to her bunk. Blake settled into her across from Weiss as the girl closed her book with a sigh and began setting the papers arranged about her aside.

"No I'm not. Unlike you two I don't see a need to go snooping around like some thief. If there is anything we needed to know, Blake would tell us. That's exactly what I told you earlier when you went running after her." The ivory haired girl set the papers on her table, careful not to knock her balanced weapon from where it sat.

"Wow that almost sounded nice. I think. Was it supposed to be nice?" Ruby asked as she removed her hood and Crescent Rose, setting them at the foot of her bunk.

Blake watched Weiss give a long exasperated huff to the younger girl before shaking her head. "Let it go Ruby." Blake added catching the heiress' sharp eyes. "It's her choice if she wants to get involved or not and your choice as team leader what she needs to know." She made it sound as soft as she could. Weiss was trying to be nice in her own way. It just happened to be a rather snotty.

"Hmph." The girl scoffed. "I just don't want to know too much about any of you. We're teammates, not soul mates."

"Ow, Weiss." Ruby poked a dejected face, now clad in her pajamas from the top bunk. Her lower lip pushed out, quivering in either mock sadness or terrible sorrow. "That's mean."

"Defiantly mean." Yang added from above on her bed.

"Hush you." Weiss snapped as she stood beside her bed. With a sudden whip of her ponytail the girl grabbed a bundle from the bed and made for the door. "I'm going to shower and change. Try not to get into trouble for the next five minutes." With that she pulled the door closed and vanished.

"She is so uptight." Yang mumbled from above, her words followed by her clothes falling like confetti onto the floor. Blake blushed in the shadow of her bed. It was understandable that the two sisters were more comfortable changing around each other. Weiss always left the room to change in the bathroom down the hall. Blake preferred to ensure no one was looking or her way and change in her bunk

"I'm sure she means well, you know, in her own way." Ruby attempted to defend her partner, leaning her black topped head over the bunk above and looked to Blake. "What do you think Blake?"

It didn't surprise her they didn't notice but the ebony haired girl still took a little pleasure in pointing out the next fact. "She was about to come and look for us."

Both sisters echoed the confused replay. "Huh?" With a poof Yang's blond mane fell from above followed by her head to face her partner. The violet eyes were wide, her mouth twisted to a ridiculous quizzical pout.

"When does Weiss ever leave Myrtenaster out of its case?" The faunus asked pointing a hand to the weapon propped against the end table. "And it's late. Why wouldn't she have showered and dressed for bed yet?"

"She was studying." Ruby added shrugging a shoulder. Yang simply twisted her face into a deep look of intense thought face, almost making Blake laugh.

"She was waiting. Why else be dressed in her combat uniform?" Blake smiled. It made her happy to know the heiress, for all her icy remarks did care. It wasn't much, but it meant something.

"Huh," yang added, tumbling back up to her bed. "Guess the princess is less bitchy that I thought. I almost feel bad for replacing her shampoo with honey."

"When did you do that?" Ruby yelled from across the room but caught her tone when she realized how loud she had been. Her hands slapped across her face with an smack.

"This morning." Yang added. "I thought it would be funny if…" the room fell silent. "Uh oh." Blake could feel the shocked look on her partners face.

She heard the whip of the blankets as Yang flung herself from the bed to the door in one bound. The blond wrenched the door open and began running down the hall, calling out Weiss' name with vague warnings.

Blake waited until she was well and truly gone before she began to laugh, not the small chuckles she often let slip but a full side busting laughter. Above and across the room, Ruby joined her. After a minute they slowly ceased their laughter. Ruby gave a final snort before turning over in her bed.

"I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight ruby." Blake rolled from her bed and stripped, putting on her own night clothes while storing her weapon under the bed. After weighing it, she removed her bow as well. Maybe Yang was still trying to convince Weiss not to use her shampoo, or maybe Weiss was berating her partner for the prank. At least she was willing to try and take it back.

The faunus settled into her bed and wrapped the blankets around her. Her arm was still sore and it took minute to find a position she could lie and not feel the dull ache pulse in her arm. Her muscles felt sore but it was her chest and mind that refused to rest.

Adam was back. Even if she could forget what Gregor had left in her mind, the images, the memories of death and war, Adam was back. That was its own curse. More, he tried to kill her. Was he really that angry? Did he really hate her that much? She clenched at her arms and trembled beneath the blankets as her eyes began to burn.

The door nearly tore off its hinges when Yang made her entrance. The door swung fast but the blonde's voice never followed. Blake was still and Ruby's breath was already slow and steady. Like she always did, Yang respected them when it mattered. It didn't mean that she wouldn't wake them with a bull horn again, but she would at least let them sleep. With a quiet sigh, the girl made another bounding leap to the bunk above making it creak under her weight.

Blake settled down, taking deep breaths and willing herself to sleep. Even as she tried to fade in the dark, Adam's mask drifted to her mind. She couldn't help but wonder where he was, what he was after, and when he would next come for her.

Her hands clenched suddenly at the thought. If he knew where she was now, if he knew where she had gone after leaving the White Fang, then would he attack her here? Would he hurt the others to get at her? Would he hurt them just because they were human, or because they were her friends? Two years ago she would have never thought such a thing of him. Now…

With a slow, silent movement she reached below her bead and retrieved Gambol Shroud. Carefully, she slipped the weapon beneath her pillow and wrapped her fingers around its hilt. The metal presence was assuring and her mind settled, allowing her to drift off to sleep.

She never looked out the window. Neither did yang take to the time to look out at the broken moon. Even when Weiss returned from her shower, the ice princess did not look any farther than the glass panes. None of the girls saw the tiny creature clung to the sill just below the glass. The imp like beast with amber eyes and snow white fangs curled into manic grin.

. . .

Behind the noise of the elevator, the constant melodic tune drew Adam's attention behind him. The tall pale man stood with his lips twisted up in a half smile. When Adam turned he regarded the young man with his dark eyes before grinning with a show of fangs. "You like my humming? It's a wonderful song."

"It's distracting." He snapped and turned back to the door.

"Oh c'mon buddy, loosen up." The man chuckled.

Adam didn't respond but kept his gaze forward. The White Fang had indeed opened their arms to him as he returned, just as the pale man had predicted. But they were different. The guards were jumpy and nervous. The whole place was working differently than before. Now they were going to see Leader, and something else tugged at the back of his mind.

Then there was the monster. Adam could feel the beast behind him, back to humming that obnoxious tune. A repetitive childlike hymn that only served to chill his blood further. He had been right this whole time. He had reminded him what Blake was and what she had done. Now he was the best chance he had to destroy her. For now he would work with him, but it was clear the monster had his own goals to attend to.

When the doors opened, Adam stared at the two guards with their steel masks. He didn't wait to be ushered ahead and stepped beyond them. The lower lair was like many others, spacious but out of the way and equipped with what they needed. Planning tables, weapons stocks and living quarters arranged as best they could manage. Each area sectioned off with makeshift walls or scrap. It was large and functional, not that he cared for how ugly it was.

Across the half lit subterranean lair was a brighter lite area, more tables and some niceties. Around the table was a familiar face, and a new one. He recognized the old man sitting on the far end, comfortable in his plush chair with hands folded carefully before him. Leader. The one who had taken the white fang to its new status. A good man. Direct, fair, and terrifying.

The other was new. The more important fact is what made him linger on her. She was no faunus. As they neared the guards parted at Leader's gesture. The woman turned to them, arms folded across her chest lazily. She looked bored, but behind the narrow line of her lips Adam saw something. A cunning edge, eye calculating him with every step he took.

"Adam Taurus." Leader said, standing from his chair and extending his arms out wide. "I must say I'm pleased you've returned. We can use a man of your caliber in the days to come. While I'm glad you're back, I must ask. Did you find your stray?"

The grip on his weapon tightened. "Yes. She is with Beacon now."

"A shame." Leader turned his hands up to his younger counterpart in a halfhearted shrug. "She was a valuable asset but our new allies have informed me she has become a thorn in our side. She will need to be removed."

"I will deal with her." Adam growled. The leader raised his yellow eyes to regard the masked man. His fangs turned to a sharp grin.

"I would never stand in the way of personal business." His voice dripped sleaze as he spoke.

"It's heartwarming, but we have business to deal with." Adam's eyes were drawn to the red dressed woman as she spoke.

"Business." The word came out like gravel as he looked to the woman. "What business makes the White Fang work with humans?" he didn't hide his contempt or disguise his step towards the woman. She lowered her arms to the side and shifted slightly.

"We have similar interests." Leader spoke again, settling into his chair. "Cinder and her associates have been helpful to the cause and have asked for our aid in some of their own endeavors. Nothing that counters our own goals."

"No need to get angry." The woman called Cinder said. Her voice held a sleek, sultry tone, sensuous and tempting. "We're all together here."

"I love good teamwork." All eyes turned to the pale man as he stepped ahead of Adam, his fanged teeth bared in a manic grin. "Everybody holding hands and singing songs. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside."

"Ah your new friend." Leader turned his gaze from the young man to the tall figure standing in his lair. "Your message only said he was an asset. Tell me dark stranger, what asset are you to the White Fang?"

The pale man ignored the question "I was hoping for a little more from you all. Some underground lair with a some weapons and plans of anarchy? Sad. I will say I love a sexy lady in charge." He turned his sneer to Cinder, but the woman only narrowed her eyes. With another laugh his eyes fell back on Leader. "To answer your question, I'm the most powerful you'll ever see. I can bring power to you that is beyond what you understand."

"Oh," Leader let his eyes licker and steeped his fingers. "What power is that?"

"So glad you asked." Adam watched the dark man pull his fingers to his lips and gave a piercing whistle through the warehouse. Two notes, one high and low drawn out over several seconds. All the faunus flinched at the pitch, some of those with stronger ears even covering them as the monster whistled. Leader stared at the beast, his ears twitching but showed no other signs of discomfort.

As Adam watched the dark man lower his hand the building fell into silence. It was annoying but he had been expecting more. It only then occurred to him that while this man was clearly dangerous and radiated a vile chill, He had yet to see anything dangerous, powerful, or great. The silence didn't seem to make the monster's smile fade.

"Well?" Leader spread his hands. "I was hoping for more."

"Give it a minute." The monster held a finger to silence the White Fang leader and silence returned. Adam was deathly aware of how many other white fang members were in the room. He had staked his return on the promise of a powerful new ally. He couldn't be sure how Leader would react to a failure. The pale man would be removed for sure. His own life might be cast aside as well. He counted the guards, estimated the time it would take to get out of the elevator and line up his first shot.

Fighting wasn't an option. The guards would be easy to stop, but he couldn't account for Leader and Cinder. He knew Leader could fight but Cinder was unknown. If the woman was as powerful as she seemed, a battle with her was suicide.

The room echoed with grinding steel and he spun on the source. The elevator gave a shudder before the walls fell apart. The men in front were swallowed by the metal box before the beasts landed on top.

The White Fang soldiers turned on the intruders but were quickly swallowed under the sea of black Grimm that swept into the room. Beowolves charged the room with blood filled howls. A pack of Ursi trampled behind, flowed out of the elevator shaft like a black, screaming flood. In seconds the beasts had spread from the door across the floor. Guns rattled and swords rang but were overcome by the ferocity and numbers of their attackers.

The pale man smiled.

Adam looked to Leader but the man was still in his chair, hands settled in his lap observing the chaos around him with amusement. Less than a minute after they had stormed the room, the Grimm stopped, held fast by a second whistle.

They paused in their attack, pinning soldiers down while others sat on the ground, waiting. One black beast strolled next to the pale man. With a gesture of his hand the monster came to rest at his feet and the man ran a clawed hand along the beasts back, stroking its ears.

"I don't think I could have answered your question any better than that." The man chuckled as the Grimm settled around the room. Adam stepped away from the pale man and warily looked around the room. It was unnerving.

He had never been this close to Grimm without them trying to kill him. It was strange to see the white bone, the contrast it made to their black hair and sharp red eyes without bloodlust. Even as he stared at one, its crimson orbs settled on him.

"This is unexpected." Leader's voice cut through the air. "The Grimm have remained a problem. If you can do this, you may be of use after all." Leader turned to Cinder. The woman allowed the ghost of smile to cross her lips, but there was no other hint behind her cold face she felt anything for the display.

"I am impressed." She murmured. She shifted her position turning her smoldering gaze to the pale man. The monster didn't seem to relent under the glare. He dismissed the wolf at his feet and the other Grimm began to shuffle towards the elevator. "Controlling the beasts is good. You may be of use after all."

"That's one trick. I've got others." He started slowing striding towards the leader and Cinder. Adam watched his shadow stay with him. The same black pit beneath his feet no matter how the light shifted. A sudden dark hue turned through his black eyes as he stared at the slim woman. The wolfish smile crept over his face. "But enough about me, it's time to focus on you children."

"Children?" Leader tilted his head as the monster crossed before Cinder. The other two agents shared a long looked, the pale man's eyes lingering.

"Yes," His voice was taking on a sultry tone of its own. Husky and smooth with alluring toxic quality. "I understand you. I can see your ambition, your pride and power. Bursting and flowing through the cracks. You are power incarnate, regal and great. It's not unnatural to want more. To feed the ambition." With a movement more gentle than his bestial features could show, his hand brushed her shoulder, gliding up her neck while Cinder's eyes remind narrowed on his.

"I know what you want, and you deserve it. I can help you take it. Power. After all, does a queen not deserve to stand above her subjects?" Cinder's eye never faltered, if anything they smolder into a burning intensity. It wasn't fury of violence. It emotion could be given a physical stare, Cinder stood as the totem of pride. Her head dipped in a slow nod.

"You are clever." She whispered. Her own hand gently but firmly removed the pale man's. "You are right. I will have that power." As she spoke, Adam could sense the change, a deepening in her tone, more malice and less sugar on her lips. She was different now.

"Of course." The pale Man stepped back and took a long bow, crossing one arm over his waist as he did. Then in a sudden twit he rose and turned on Leader. For the first time ever, Adam saw the other faunus show a fleeting hint of fear. The pale ma glided across the floor in what seemed to be a single motion and then it was before the Leader, his sharp smile bearing over the sitting faunus.

"And of course there is you," A breathless laugh escaped between the pale man's words. "The great leader. I know about you, I know the pain you've seen." The pale man paused less than a foot from the seated leader. "Yours isn't ambition. It's much simpler than that. Humans don't deserve their place in this world. That burning hatred in your heart, you try to cover it with smiles and nice words but you shouldn't. Petty little strikes against them will never amount. Relish that hatred, turn it to you weapon and drive them down. Never deny the strength in hate."

Leader began to change as Adam watched. The focused eyes narrowed into an intense glare. His claws dug into his hands and the edge of his fangs showed in something closer to a snarl than a smile. "What do you know of hate?"

The pale man smiled again, stepping away from the faunus. "I am the incarnation of hate. There is nothing wrong with that. You and me have that in common. If you really want them to suffer, and I know you do, you listen to me. Together, we turn this whole world upside down. We'll show them what real suffering is. We can show them who the animals are."

Leader shuddered once and the grimace he had worn relaxed. "I like that." His voice was almost a whisper as he spoke. His laugh began as a low chuckle but soon erupted to full boisterous laugher. For a moment he seemed to have gone made as he cackled and leapt from his chair with more energy that Adam had ever seen the man use. "I really like that idea!"

"Wonderful." The pale man laughed with him striding past Cinder to stand with Adam again. He gave the man another assuring smile tinged in vile intent. "We can get started immediately. There is another factor to consider, an old friend of mine but we can deal with him in time. For now we can just get down to real business."

"Perhaps," Cinder spoke taking a few measured strides towards him, her impassive mask returned. "But shouldn't we have a name to call our new ally? We should know who you are, since you seem to know us so well." Leader, while silent did incline his head at the pale man as she spoke.

The dark coated man gave a deep chuckle, pulling away from Cinder and stepping back towards Adam. He caught the flash in his eyes, the glint of his teeth as he smiled enough to crack his face. "I love this part." He whispered under his breath. With a deep breath the dark man turned on his audience, throwing his arms out to his side.

"I am the dark and death. All the fear and hate in the shadows. I am your darkest fears and greatest terrors come to life, to steal your souls and bathe the world in darkness." At his words the darkness beneath him swirled, churning like a pool of black snakes. "I am Dark and death, fear and hate and all the evil of the world given face. But if you must give me a name, please," He finished with a large elaborate bow, the shadows curling around him to form and aura of deep, liquid black around him before he lifted his eyes to his audience.

"Call me Darkside."

**Authors notes: Another long one, but now I've got Darkside involved and that makes me smile more than it should. I should be able to get some more work done now that I have it all planed out. I have caught up on RWBY and if you haven't than go there now. Like, right now. I should be able to keep to the schedule and may even have better quality work if time permits. **

** I do have a favor I am going to start here. In time this story will become mature rated. I know for certain, and by mature I mean blood, death, gore and mature ideas. I would like to ask the readers that if you ever read a chapter and you think it should be rated mature to tell me. I am a bit desensitized so I might just shrug it off but if you think I've crossed the line please call me on it. I don't have a conscious anymore so I need to rent one. I know a time where I will be mature without any doubt but if I hit it before then, I would like to know. **

**So as always if you want better content you have to tell me… you know where this is going. You should leave a review. Yeah, im begging again but it's what I do. **

**Till next time, salute.**


	10. Chapter 10: Interlude

Ozpin looked over the forest below. The green canopy stretched beyond his eyes to the horizon, interrupted with dots of grey stone. The Emerald forest had always been and continued to be a beautiful sight. The creatures within were dangerous but it did little to detach from the beauty the woods held.

In the last month the creatures had done nothing to obscure its beauty. In the last month, they had vanished. For the first week he considered hibernation. It wasn't unheard unthinkable. Then Qrow had contacted him with the same concerns. The monsters had vanished. He took the time to confirm after Qrow's message.

The Grimm had vanished with no trace across the entire world. The forests, the desserts, and the mountains were all abandoned by their long time enemy. The only Grimm to remain was those in captivity. Most were already beginning to call it a golden age. Qrow seemed to be the only one to share his concern. Monsters did not simply vanish after spending centuries at war. Something else was at work. Something was removing or relocating the Grimm.

No matter the reasons, Ozpin's instincts said it wasn't benevolent.

The soft click of feet approaching took the headmaster back from his musings. "Hello Glynda." He turned to his friend. The woman had the same measured pace whenever she walked, as if putting on a show for the world. It bothered him she never let that drop façade around him. That was an argument for another day.

"James is here." She informed him, walking to stand just behind him. "He didn't come lightly."

It was in Ironwood's nature to show off. "Well, I suppose I should be ready to greet our guests." He turned from the forest with a sweep of his cane.

"Are you worried about the Grimm?" Glynda fell in step behind him.

"I would be foolish to not consider them a threat, even when they are missing. No. Even more so when they are in hiding. We will need to remain alert but there is no cause for panic."

"People seem to be calling this a golden age." Glynda's words echoed the information he already had. There was hope in her tone. A question hidden beneath the stamen. "It's being called a time of peace. Is there any chance that's true?"

The headmaster looked back to his long time friend. Her eyes were furrowed behind her glasses, her forehead creased in the same growing line she developed when she thought on something for too long. "I fear it is the just the calm before the storm. Whatever it is, the solution is the same. We remain calm, we remain vigilant and we ensure the safety of the world. We have many capable children under our care and if they are to be raised into an era of peace, I would not object."

Ozpin led the way back, never voicing his own concerns to the woman with him.

** Author's note: So this is real short because it is more of a message from me to you. I am taking a break from this story for a time. Each new episode is playing hell with my original plans as I try to keep in somewhat cannon to the show. Between that and finical problems demanding more attention I am going to back off. **

** I am not canceling it, I am simply putting it on hold and waving the weekly updates. As I can and feel confident I will continue to post real chapters. I don't want to keep my deadline if it means posting chapters that are this short. So keep an eye out and I will post more, just not every week. **

** With that over, even though there is little here, I still would love to hear from the readers. You know, click, type, say things. **

** See ya**


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